Second Chances

Chapter 1

"You have 5 seconds to let go of my hand and no one gets hurt." Zoe said.

"5... 4..."

"Can you please just listen to me? Please Zoe!!" Harry begged holding her even tighter.

"3..."

"If I let go, please don't walk away." Zoe looked down and stopped counting.

Harry loosened his grip and finally released her hand. There was silence, Harry waited for the moment she would run away, but she didn't. Her eyes met his but her eyebrows were furrowed.

"I just... You're... I wanna be with you, Zoe. You're the one I want in my life forever... If that's even possible... I love you so much... I can't.... Don't let me go... Please..." Harry said in a rough voice.

Zoe walked closer and cupped Harry's cheek to stop him from talking. She leaned in and kissed him. The kiss was intense as both of them were crying. Zoe pulled away and wiped a tear from Harry's eye. As bad as she feels, she's not the type who gives second chances because she's afraid they might just hurt her again.
She slowly started to walk away leaving Harry alone on the sidewalk.



Chapter 2


"Good morning sunshine" Liam whispered in Zoe's ear. Zoe and Liam have been dating for 3 months now. After her and Harry's dramatic break-up, she needed someone new in her life.
"Good morning babe" Zoe whispered back and turned to face Liam.
"You're up early. I'm usually the one who gets up earlier than you. What's with today?" Zoe continued as she kissed Liam on the forehead and sat up.
"It's our 3-month anniversary, remember?" Liam said and pouted because he thought she forgot.
"Oh right! Sorry! I usually count it by year anniversaries or something. Happy 3 months babe!" she said as she kissed him gently on the lips. Liam reached for his bag and pulled out a small box. He gave it to Zoe and told her to open it. Inside was a charm bracelet with Liam's initials.
"That's so sweet!! Thank you! I love you so much!!" Liam was so happy to see her smile. She rarely smiles like that.
Liam made plans for the night so while Zoe was still waiting for her hair to curl with the new rollers she bought, she decided to turn the TV on to watch the news. As she turned it on, this new facial wash commercial was on and a guy was giving a bouquet to the girl. Zoe furrowed her eyebrows, then suddenly a flashback came through:

Harry dropped off a bouquet of roses at Zoe's doorstep with a note beside it. When Zoe was about to leave her apartment she saw the flowers and raised her eyebrows. She picked it up and read the note:
"Here are 12 roses. 11 real and 1 fake. I'll love you until the last one dies. Happy anniversary sweetheart."
A tear dropped from her eye, Harry came and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. She turned to face Harry and kissed him.
"I love you so much" was all she could say because she was overwhelmed by the surprise.


"Are you ready to go?" Liam asked from behind the couch. Zoe shook her head back to reality and nodded at Liam.
"You alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine, let me just remove these rollers then we can go. Wait for me outside, okay?"
Liam nodded and walked towards the door.





"Dude, you gotta start dating. It's been months since she left!" Niall said while they were playing Xbox at Harry's apartment.
Harry sighed and stopped playing. He stood up and walked to the kitchen to get a drink. Niall rolled his eyes and paused the game. As Harry walked back with 2 bottles of beer, he finally said "I still love her, man. I'll always love her."
"That's why you need some other girl to help you forget."
"Wouldn't that be wrong? I'm going to use her to help me forget?"
"Well, not really. Once you start to fall in love with someone else, it'll work out right!"
Harry sighed again and drank his beer. He shook his head slowly and closed his eyes, a flashback entered his mind:


"Okay, would you rather kiss me under the mistletoe or kiss me underwater?" Zoe asked Harry as she was sunbathing near the poolside.
"Um, kiss you underwater! That would be awesome!"
"Wouldn't we drown? I'm too young to die!" Zoe joked.
"You wanna find out?" Harry grabbed Zoe and dived in the pool. He held her tight and submerged deeper and finally reached for the kiss. He felt her smile. They both swam to the surface and laughed.
"Told you it would be awesome," Harry chuckled. Zoe splashed water at him and jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and cupping his face with her 2 hands.




"I gotta go, man. Valerie's waiting for me at the park." Niall said.
"Oh yeah sure, okay. See you later" Harry answered sort of distracted.



Chapter 3


"How's Harry? Haven't heard from him in a while." Valerie asked.
"He's been fine, I guess. A little distracted." Niall answered.
"He misses her..."
Valerie frowned and nodded.
"Let's set him up on a blind date!" she shouted. Niall agreed on her idea and offered a high five. Valerie raised one eyebrow and pulled Niall's shirt for a kiss instead.
"You're not so good with the romantic stuff, babe" Valerie joked.
"Sorry, I'm quite new at this. Considering you're my first." She just smiled and kissed him again.




Harry's phone rang and he picked it up.
"Harry, dress up at 6pm and meet us at Nando's." Niall quickly said.
"Why? Dress up? What should I wear?"
"Something semi-formal." Niall hung-up and Harry raised his eyebrows. He wondered what was going on, but he trusted Niall so he dressed up anyway.

Harry arrived at Nando's wearing his favorite plaid shirt and a nice pair of jeans. He looked for a blonde, spiky-haired guy around the place. He spotted Niall, Valerie and a brunette sitting by the corner table.
"Hey man. This is Paige, your date for this evening." The brunette, Paige, stood up and offered a handshake. She was gorgeous. Blue eyes, nice smile with a deep dimple.
"Hi, I'm Harry Styles." he responded shaking her hand. He looked at Niall with approval and he gave him a thumbs up.
"Uh, we can't possibly have our date here at Nando's." Harry joked. Niall whispered something at Harry and he nodded.
"I'm taking you to this new restaurant called Ze Delicieux" Harry offered his arm to Paige and she smiled.








"Have you heard of this new restaurant in town? It's fine dining, I guess." Zoe asked Liam as she flipped through the pages of a magazine.
"Ze Delicieux? Yeah, I heard their cocktails are really good!" Liam answered. Zoe just nodded and kept flipping through the pages. Liam sat behind her and placed his hands on her waist.
"I'll take you on a date there tonight if you want," Liam whispered.
"We just went out a few days ago. Come on, that's too much babe." Zoe whispered back and kissed him on the cheek.
"We can just check the place and maybe get reservations, I'm curious."
Zoe rolled her eyes, "fine, we'll just look. I'm curious too."







"Table for 2 please" Harry said to the waiter as he lead them to their table.
"So where are you from?" Harry asked Paige while looking at the menu.
"I'm from the city. I'm actually Valerie's friend, we met 2 years ago at work." Paige answered.
"So you work together then?"
"Not anymore, I moved to Canada a year ago then decided to go back here."
"Wow, that's great. You look beautiful, by the way."
Paige blushed and flashed a smile. Harry smiled back and brushed her hair behind her ear.


As they were eating, Harry heard a voice from behind him.
"This place is great, what are your famous cocktails?" The voice sounded familiar, he looked back and saw her. Zoe. His mouth hung open and looked down, hoping she wouldn't see him.



"Do you still love her?" Zoe asked Harry.
"No, do you have to ask again?" Harry shrugged.
"Just making sure. Geez, you're so sensitive."
"You keep asking the same question! I'm getting sick of it!"
"Sorry! You don't have to shout!!!"
"Well, you're giving me a reason to!"
"Here we go again! I'm getting sick of us arguing about this all the time!"
"You started it! You keep asking if I still love Janet and can't get over yourself!!"
Zoe stomped his foot and walked out of the door. Harry sighed and ran after her. He caught her and held her by the waist as tight as he could.
"Please stop, I'm tired. I don't wanna argue anymore. I'm sorry." Harry whispered as soft as he could while rubbing her hands. Zoe relaxed a bit, knowing that he was still caressing her even if they're both in a rage. She sighed and turned to face Harry.
"Sorry, I keep overreacting on stuff like this. I need to trust you more, I'm so sorry baby" she whispered. Harry smiled and reached in for a kiss.




"Harry?" the voice from behind him asked. Harry felt goosebumps all over him as he turned around. Zoe smiled at him and touched his shoulder. She looked at Paige, "Oh I'm so sorry. Hi, I'm Zoe... Harry's friend. Didn't mean to disturb you guys."
"No, it's fine. I, uh, it's nice to see you..." Harry roughly said. Liam walked towards Zoe and held her waist with one hand.
"This is my boyfriend Liam. Liam, this is Harry." They both awkwardly shook hands but both acted casual about it.
"This is my date Paige," Harry introduced. There was silence for a moment and Zoe tried to break the awkwardness.
"We just came here to check the place. It's really nice. We have to go, see you... Soon?" Zoe asked eyeing Harry. He nodded and smiled. Zoe and Liam walked towards the exit and left. Harry sighed and shook his head. He looked at Paige and apologized. After their meal, Paige volunteered to take Harry someplace else.
"I know this amazing planetarium a few blocks from here." Paige said happily.
As they reached the place, Harry frowned and realized it was the planetarium where he and Zoe met.



"Did you know the next nearest star to us is the Centaurus constellation?" Harry said while Zoe was looking at the stars display.
"Interesting fact, stranger. Where'd you hear that?" Zoe said as she smiled.
"It's on the brochure," Harry answered and they both chuckled.
"And I thought you were smart!" Zoe joked.
"I am! Just not about stars. I'm Harry by the way,"
"I'm Zoe. Nice to meet you, smart guy." They both smiled and shook hands.
"I can tell you for a fact that ice cream can satisfy your tummy. Wanna get some? My treat!" Harry offered.
"Alright, but you gotta stop with those facts. Promise?"
Harry smiled and nodded.






"She's your ex, isn't she?" Paige asked.
Harry sighed and looked down. "Yeah, she is."
"And you miss her? I know you do,"
"I'm sorry, Paige. I didn't want you to get involved with this issue..."
"No, it's okay. I'm here as a friend. You can trust me,"
Harry started to talk about Zoe and how much he still loves her. Paige was rubbing his back to comfort him.
"Sorry... I shouldn't even be telling you this.. As if you care..." Harry shrugged.
Paige held his arm, "get her back. Or if that doesn't work, you both need closure. The pain will grow if you don't talk it out."
Harry reached and hugged Paige. "Thank you, and again, I'm sorry. This date was ruined. I'll make it up to you someday,"
"It's okay, I understand."




"Was that your ex?" Liam asked while driving home. Zoe nodded awkwardly. The car became silent because Liam didn't know what else to say. Zoe just decided to turn the radio on.


"Shut up Harry! You're ruining the song!" Zoe joked.
"But I love this song! Let me sing!!!" Harry shouted back and increased the volume. He started singing to Katy Perry's Teenage Dream.
"YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I'M LIVING A TEENAGE DREAM!!!" Zoe laughed and she sang along with him. Harry opened the car windows and enjoyed the city breeze. Zoe held her hands up and sang even louder. He stopped singing and just stared at her face. She was beautiful in every way, Harry thought. Her hair through the breeze and her deep dimples showing when she laughed. When Zoe realized he stopped singing, she met his eyes and blushed.








Chapter 4


"You've been sitting there for almost an hour staring at nothing," Zoe's friend Natalie said.
"Oh, sorry. I've just been thinking about... Things."
"What things? There are so many things you can think about!"
"I saw him the other night, Nat."
"What? Who? Harry?"
Zoe nodded. "He looks different now. I just... I don't know.. He was on a date with another girl."
"Jealous? You miss him don't you?"
"No, I'm not jealous. But the girl was really pretty, though."
Natalie raised an eyebrow at her. "I repeat, you miss him don't you?"
Zoe rolled her eyes, "maybe a little. I guess I miss his cheekiness. Liam's just so serious all the time."
"You left him, remember?"
"Hey! You're supposed to make me feel better, Nat! Now I feel bad."
"Oops sorry! Uh, get him back then!"
"As if he'll forgive me. I've hurt him too much, and he looked happy with the girl he was with the other night... I think." Zoe said as she bit her lip.
Natalie rolled her eyes at Zoe, "Whatever you say, Z."




"Should I call her? No, no. Liam might find out. Maybe I should e-mail her..." Harry whispered to himself walking back and forth at Niall's house.
"Geez, Harry! Really? E-mail? What century do you live in?!" Niall joked and laughed. Harry gave him an angry look and threw a pillow at him. Niall laughed harder, "Maybe you should send her a love letter then!"
"Shut up Niall! You're not helping at all! I'm serious about this!" Harry shouted. Niall covered his mouth and tried to stop himself.
"Just call her, dude. I'm sure Liam wouldn't mind." Niall finally suggested. Harry breathed deeply and reached for his phone.

"Hello? Zoe? Hi, it's Harry." Zoe's voice mail came through and Harry decided to leave a message instead.
"Uh, hi. I guess you're at work or something. Call me back later, bye." He hung up and placed his palm on his face. Niall gave him a look and said "Let's just hope she calls back, man."




Zoe entered her apartment a little pissed because she left her phone at home that morning.
"5 messages, and 2 voice mails." She read. As she listened to the first voice mail, her mouth hung open as she recognized Harry's voice. She immediately dialed the number and called him.
"Harry?"
"Zoe! Hi! I was hoping you'd call back. Uh, how are you? Are you busy? Sorry, Liam might be there..."
"No, Liam's not here. Sorry I wasn't able to answer your call earlier. I was at work and I left my phone."
"It's fine, I'm just glad you called back." Harry still felt awkward while they were talking, but he didn't make it sound obvious.
"So... You wanna grab some lunch soon? I'm free on Friday." Zoe suggested.
"Yeah sure, I'll meet you at Nando's if that's alright?"
"Perfect. See you!" They both hung up with smiles on their faces.




Chapter 5


"Do you think she still loves him, man?" Liam asked his friend Zayn as he passed the basketball to him.
"Who are we talking about?"
"Zoe! And her ex."
"Why would you think that?"
"She saw him the other night, it looked sort of casual. But I know what happened between them... It just made me think."
"Well, do you love her?"
"Yeah, of course I do. But I'm just scared that I might not be... Enough for her, you know? I'm different from her ex."
"Well who would want someone who acts the same as their ex, dude?!"
"Adele," Liam joked and they both laughed. Zayn started singing Adele's Someone Like You and started dancing around like a ballerina. Liam kept laughing and threw the ball at Zayn.
"Seriously, though. Just ask her," Zayn suggested.
"I'd rather not. That would make me sound paranoid. I just need a sign... Or some kind of confirmation."
Zayn just nodded and twirled the ball with his thumb.




Chapter 6


Harry was in the car tapping both his hands on the steering wheel in front of Nando's. He was waiting for Zoe and as she arrived, Harry got out of his car.
"Zoe!!! Hi! Nice to see you!" Harry greeted and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He couldn't remember the day he saw her the other night, and he just realized how blooming she looked now.
"You look beautiful," he said awkwardly.
"You look fit yourself, Styles." Zoe smiled.


"So how are you? I haven't heard from you in ages!" Zoe said taking a sip of her drink.
"I'm fine, how about you? How are you and... Liam?" Harry answered and looked down at his meal.
"Uh, we're good. How are you and that girl from the other night? Paige, right?"
"Oh, uh, we're just friends. I just took her out to dinner and that was it."
"That's too bad, she's gorgeous!"
Harry smiled, "by the way, is Liam alright with this? I mean, he might get mad about us seeing each other."
"Well... He doesn't know... I just told him I'd be out with a friend..."
Harry nodded and continued eating, a little worried about the situation.


"Hey guess what? They're displaying some new art work at the planetarium tonight." Zoe said.
"Really? Sounds awesome! You wanna go?"
"Of course! That's why I'm telling you!!!" They both laughed and Zoe pinched Harry's cheek. He blushed a little and their eyes met.
"Come on, let's go."



"Did you know planets fall into 2 categories? It's either a Terrestrial Planet or a Gas Giant." Zoe explained as she was reading the poster in front of them.
"Yeah, it's on the poster." Harry said and chuckled.
"Just trying to be smart like you, Styles!" Zoe joked.
They both remembered the first time they met there and they both blushed.
"Interesting fact, stranger." Harry whispered and looked at Zoe.


Harry and Zoe went to the rooftop to gaze at the stars.
"Remember when we went here and you slipped on spilled juice on the floor?" Harry asked jerking his arm on Zoe's.
"Yeah, and it's a good thing you caught me! My face would've fell flat on the floor if you weren't there!"
Zoe and Harry reminisced about so many things that happened in the past, and it was such a laugh for both of them.
When Zoe peeked through the huge telescope, she frowned.

"See that star? That one shining bright in the middle?" Harry whispered to Zoe holding her in his arms.
"I'll name that star Zoe Styles after we get married someday," he continued. Zoe faced Harry and kissed him.
"You're the best. I love you so much," she whispered.




Harry furrowed his eyebrows and sat down. She sat down beside him and things got awkward and they started to feel tension around them.
"I'm sorry.. For everything, Harry." Zoe whispered as she held his hand. Harry nodded slowly but didn't look her in the eyes. As Harry didn't respond, Zoe started tearing up. Harry's fist was closed tight and his eyebrows were still furrowed.
"I should've... Gave you another chance... I was wrong... I just needed time.. I blame myself for everything."
She saw a tear drop from Harry's eye and she cried even harder.
"You have no idea how much I miss you, Zoe." Harry whispered in a rough voice.
Zoe was bad at handling situations like this. She was always the one who would shut up and just walk away. Her habit still hasn't changed, so she ran away until she reached an empty sidewalk. She felt weak and couldn't breathe properly. She heard footsteps running towards her, and someone held her arm.
She looked at Harry and that  killed her even more. Seeing him cry and the scenario was the same... The time that they broke up, and now this.
"If I let go, please don't walk away." he whispered. Those exact same words he said made her weaker. Zoe pulled her arm free and hugged Harry.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I've always loved you. That never changed." he whispered back.



Chapter 7


We're going down
And you can see it too
We're going down,
And you know that we're doomed, my dear
We're slow dancing in a burning room


They both were slow dancing in Zoe's apartment as the music played.
The lights were dim, and the curtains were closed. There was tension in the room, they were both crying. They were in each other's arms, Zoe's head was resting on his shoulder, and Harry's hands were on her waist.
Harry pulled away and looked her in the eyes. He wiped a tear and cupped her cheeks with both hands. He slowly caressed her face to make her feel that she's safe with him, and slowly his lips met hers. A kiss so intense, the didn't care about anyone else. All that mattered was the fact that they were together again. As the kiss lasted longer, Zoe started unbuttoning Harry's shirt, and Harry tried to unbutton her jeans. Soon, their bare skin was exposed and they were already sat on the couch.
Harry moved from her lips to her ear and down her neck, and Zoe was pulling his hair.


"Zoe?" A familiar voice came from a far.
"Oh crap," Zoe whispered. She realized it was Liam slowly entering the front door. Zoe swiftly wore her clothes as Liam switched the lights on....
Liam's mouth hung open and dropped his body bag.
"Liam, I uh..." Zoe was speechless. Harry couldn't speak either and he tried to reach for his clothes on the floor.
Liam grinned and shook his head. Zoe and Harry furrowed their eyebrows and got confused by his expression.
"Thank you," Liam said. "This was what I needed to see."
"What?!?!" Zoe and Harry shouted.
"I always knew Zoe still had feelings for you, Harry. The time when you two saw each other at the restaurant, Zoe looked at you differently. She never looked at me that way."
Zoe opened her mouth about to say something but Liam stopped her.
"Zoe, I love you and all, but I don't think I'm... The one for you. Everyday I try to make you happy, but it never seemed to satisfy me. You and Harry have this spark that we don't have. Yes, I'm hurt, but I know I'll be okay because you'll be happier in his arms."
Zoe ran to Liam and hugged him. "I'm sorry for this. And thank you." she whispered.
"I just want you to be happy, Zoe." Liam answered and hugged back.



Chapter 8 - A year later




The planetarium had a grand re-opening after renovating a few floors.
Zoe covered Harry's eyes and whispered, "hey stranger." Harry turned around and carried Zoe in his arms and kissed her gently.
"I love what they did to the place," Zoe said looking around her. Harry held her hand and smiled.
"Come on, I have something to show you."
Harry and Zoe went to the stars display and he asked her to look through the telescope. He held out a certificate as she was looking through the telescope. Written there was Zoe Styles.
"You named the star after me... But we're not married yet..." Zoe said.
Harry placed the paper in his pocket and he reached for his other pocket. He held out a small red box and knelt in front of her...
"Let's make it official then. Will you marry me?"
Zoe was overwhelmed and she nodded.
"Yes, of course I'll marry you!" She leaped on to Harry and he twirled her around. The people around them were clapping with joy as they saw the whole proposal.

Harry placed the ring on her finger and ended with a kiss.