H.

"Hey, hey, no!" I roared with laughter, shoving Liam backwards onto the opposing couch and taking a sip from my can of coke, "that is not how the story went."

"Yes it is!" Liam protested with a grin, waving his hand dismissively, "I found you under a bloody bench while you kept asking for your fuckin' mum."

Luke scoffed playfully, "what a loser."

"Can it, Hemmings, you're still on thin ice," I teased, as Luke raised his hands in play surrender.

"You can it, Styles - I can take you down in one hit," Tasha joked.

"I don't hit women," I stuck my tongue out at her, and she stood up, drink in hand.

"Fight me!" she declared, as I hid behind Ana with a smirk.

"Nah, I'm fucking terrified now," I buried my face into Ana's shoulder with a grin plastered onto my face.

Ana sat further back on Tasha's couch as I lifted my head from her shoulder, a soft smile on my lips as Luke, Liam and Tasha emerged themselves in yet another happy, drunken conversation.

"I fucking love you," I murmured subconsciously, pressing a kiss to the side of Ana's head as I sent her another tired smile. I couldn't help but fall even more in love when I looked into Ana's sleepy brown-eyed gaze, the beautiful crinkles by her eyes as she smiled, and her messy curls framing her face. It must've been near 3AM by now, the five of us extremely content with one another - all of us talking from the moment we'd escaped our parents into the basement of Tasha's house and curled up on the couches.

Ana was tired just like me, it was clear, but she also seemed far too happy to go to bed - tonight was the beginning of an era for all of us. We were finished with high school and going into our adult life - and we were doing it altogether.

"I love you more," she told me, allowing our lips to connect for a couple of moments, before a pillow connected with the point our lips met.

"Liam, so help me fucking God, if that was you, you're getting flipped," I side-eyed Liam on the other couch, as Liam let out a terrified squeal and stood up, only for me to chase him and tackle him to the ground.

I heard Ana as she erupted into laughter, while Tasha did the same, the two of them standing up to intercept, only to be dragged down onto the floor with Liam and I, leading Luke to intercept and be dragged down with us, too. No mercy, here.

And that was us - a heap on the floor of giggling teenagers who had found love, happiness, and pure content in one another. We had found trust, and build a bond that would carry us beyond high school and through it all. This would be my family until the day I died, I knew that for sure. And, fuck - how cheesy was that? A family - something I never pictured myself finding in a group like this.

As we took our places back on the couches, returning to cracking horrible jokes and throwing pillows at one another, I couldn't help but silently reminisce among the group of five I sat within; who I'd gone through absolutely everything with.

If the day Ana Grace stumbled out of that random bar on the corner of the street at some ungodly hour, you'd told me I'd fall in love with the beautiful girl who'd caught me smoking on some concrete steps, I'd have told you that you were insane. But now I sat beside the girl I loved, watching her in pure, undeniable admiration and adoration as she threw her head back in laughter at something stupid Liam had said - and I couldn't help but remember all we'd gone through together.

From that night outside the bar to the day after when I had talked her into ditching school with me for the very first time, and then repeated it in the days to follow, taking her to my favourite diner, and then to my precious bookstore - slowly but surely, and slightly reluctantly opening up to her piece-by-piece. Not disregarding all of the problems with Sadie, though - her jealousy becoming more and more evident, and then I would tell Ana the truth about her.

I told her about Caleb. The guy I had been to hell and back with, and the guy I'd considered to be my brother for years. I let her know the truth about the people she thought she could trust, and though it had hurt to watch her hurt - it needed to be done, and it left just her and I. Not that I was complaining.

And then she met Tiff and Tasha - instantly not taking a liking to Tiff, just like me, (that's my girl, eh?), but just as quickly clicking with Tasha. And there she found her best friend, an annoying bitch I often considered kicking the shit out of, but at the end of the day, I loved her like the sibling I didn't fucking want.

How could I forget the day Ana had come running to my house in a flood of tears? Sobbing about the fact Louis had fed her what I wish could be counted as lies about my past. She'd never believed that could've been me - but it was. There was no denying I was an awful, awful person before I knew her, and it was that very day, when she'd been desperate to deny my past that I'd realised how very much I needed her, and couldn't be without her. That had been a realisation I'd been desperate to push away; I didn't want to need her. I didn't want to need anybody, and I had never wanted to be better. But she'd already bettered me, and all I could see was things improving even further.

And then I fucked up. Completely, and entirely fucked it. After making original amends with Ana, and finally beginning to ascend on a path with her I'd been looking towards - I ruined it all. After a talk with Louis, I'd drank more than I had since I was about sixteen, and I'd got higher than a fucking kite - not my proudest moment, and that's putting it lightly.

So I woke up. Not only physically, but mentally, too. I woke up beside a girl I didn't recognise, and could only see the girl I wanted's face in my mind. That was when I realised this wasn't the life I wanted, and though I could never fully take back the hurt I'd inflicted on Ana that night - I could apologise and plead. I could let her know how much I regretted what I'd done, and how much I needed to be with her.

I often wondered how she forgave me for that night. The idea of seeing Ana with somebody else was enough to make my eyes sting and my jaw clench, but she had forgiven me - with work, of course - but now she saw how much I truly loved her. I was broken without that girl, and I needed her more than anything. Somehow we patched it over, and that's when I began to know what true happiness felt like.

Ana Levin, in a matter of months, had changed me for the better. She had discovered this part of me nobody else had, and showed me who I could be - with her. And then had come New Year's - a night I didn't know could determine so much.

She'd told me she loved me. The girl who I would never, ever deserve, but was so hopelessly in love with told me she was in love with me, too.

And I'd say I fucked her, but Ana always hit me when I called it that. And in all fairness - it was more than that - I was with Ana more intimately than I'd been with anyone, with more love than I could've ever given to anybody. We'd ignited a flame nobody dared to put out, but of course, the bliss was short-lived.

We were caught by her bitch of a mum - a bitch. That's all I could say; a bitch. She ruined everything, called Ana unspeakable things that made my skin crawl to this day.

And then my world flipped. I'd gone home, to discover I wouldn't be going back. We were going back to Manchester, and we were going to be thousands of miles from the one girl I'd ever loved; telling her goodbye was more painful than ever, but I'd had to do it. I'd had to end things, for not only her sanity, but mine too.

I couldn't have been more wrong. I hadn't lived from January to June - hadn't fucking breathed in the way I should have. All I had felt during those months was hurt. Hurt, hurt, hurt. And pure emptiness. I was empty, and I was missing a piece of me I didn't dare accept - Ana.

I assumed she must've been doing better without me. Who wouldn't? But I was doing nothing of the sort. It was an ache, a constant ache in the pit of my stomach and in my chest - pure pain. I couldn't sleep, eat, I couldn't do a damn thing except mope around like the mess I was always destined to be. Liam was ready to rip my head off by the end of it, especially when he dropped the bombshell of Seattle on me.

We were going back - back to where I'd left her behind. Back to the place of regrets, and where it had all began, and ended.

I knew I wouldn't be able to keep away from her when I arrived back in Seattle, there was no doubt about it - but I thought I'd have time to figure out what I was going to do; allow things to settle in my own mind. What I didn't know, was that I'd run into her on the very first time.

The look of horror on her face was something that would remain in my mind forever. The way, in her mind, it all came flooding back. I was all too familiar with that feeling.

The idea of her and Luke Hemmings being a thing caused me to think unspeakable things - my hands around his neck, for that matter. I was going crazy, and I didn't know how it would ever stop. Until she decided to listen.

Ana didn't owe me a thing, yet she still listened. She let us talk, and she let us try one more time.

And here we were. Even after everything - with the disputes, the drama - the resurfacing of my 'father', the discovery of my brother.. here we were. We had made it, through it all - Ana and I had made it through, and I was still more in love with her than ever.

I never thought I'd make it to graduation. I was certain I'd smoke and drink myself into a pit somewhere, and I would just end it all. I was tempted, even at the best of times - it lingered. The darkness of my past, the darkness of me.. but she brought the light. Ana had saved me, there was no two ways about it.

If you'd have told me a year ago that by graduation day, I'd have found a group of friends, and the girl I undeniably wanted to spend the rest of my life with, I'd have told you to fuck off and to suck my left. If you'd have told I'd find that muse, that peak - that missing piece of the puzzle I'd unknowingly craved to fill the never-ending void in the pit of my stomach - I'd never have believed you.

Fuck, I loved her. I loved Ana Grace Levin with everything I had, and I knew from the day I lay eyes on her that I'd never be the same. I was a changed man - I'd learnt so much from the girl I'd only thought to be the stuck-up rich girl in the big house on the corner of the street, who I now knew to be the most humble, sweet, caring and beautiful human being, both inside and out. And now all I wanted was for college to end, so that I could marry her. So that I could marry my other half, my missing piece of the puzzle, who just wasn't missing anymore.

I'd made it, and so had she. We'd made it.

"What are you thinking about?" her instantly-soothing voice came quietly underneath the chatter sounding throughout our friends, snapping me from my thoughts. I turned to face her.

"You," I told her honestly, revelling in the prepossessing glint in her stunning chocolate brown irises, "you and I."

The group fell silent, suddenly tuning in on our conversation now, gentle and slightly drunken smiles on all of their faces.

"And all of you, actually," I said, locking eyes with each person individually for a mere second before turning back to Ana, the gaze I directed her possessing pure admiration as it always did, without fail.

"Ana Levin has made you a sappy sod, Harry Styles," Liam teased, though he couldn't hide the undeniably happy smile pulling at his lips.

"She really has, eh?" I chuckled quietly, eyes not leaving my girlfriend beside me as her hand rested at the nape of my neck, a grin on her beautiful lips as she mouthed an 'I love you' in my direction, which I returned with ease.

"I love you guys," Tasha spoke up suddenly, tears clear in her eyes, full of emotion and slight intoxication. "I'm making a toast." She stood up, raising her glass as Luke stood up, then Liam, and Ana and I.

"To high school," Tasha continued, "that nasty shithole - and to you guys. I'm so grateful for all of you, and I couldn't have asked for better people to wreak havoc with this year," she sniffed, a smile on her lips, "to us, forever." We all raised our glasses.

"I love you guys so much," Ana said breathily from beside me, tears in her own eyes, "forever."

"Forever," the five of us said in unison, clinking our glasses together and all taking a swig.

Ana leaned into my side, and I leant down to press a kiss to her temple, Luke, Tasha and Liam laughing about something I hadn't bothered to listen to.

And as I looked at the love of my life beside me, I was eternally grateful for her. For saving me, for loving me - for giving me the happiness I didn't deserve. And I finally had it. I was so, so, so fucking happy, and I never thought that day would come for me. I was happy; elated. And it wasn't a drink, and it wasn't a bloody drug - it was her. Her, loving me when nobody else could.

Our eyes locked, the familiar fire igniting in the pit of my stomach that always arose without fail when she looked at me, my heart feeling as if it could burst.

My voice was low, and quiet - only meaning for her to hear, only wanting her to know what she already should've. Ana knew how much I loved her, how much I wanted and needed her, and so there was only one final thing to tell her, though she wouldn't think it necessary:

"Thank you."