BEAUTIFULLY UNFINISHED novel Chapter 40

THIRTY-NINE

"Louis." I breathlessly call out his name as he slowly closes the door.

He stares at me and Vivian eagerly but I think he can't believe what he just heard that came from Vivian's tactless mouth. Why is Vivian such a thin-lipped? I feel my heart being squeezed to the tiniest piece so hard that it's taking out all of the blood from my system. I can't breathe.

"Did I just..." he walks closer to us while he laughs humorlessly.

"Did I hear the last part right?" He asked.

I gulped.

I glared at Vivian and he looks at me sorrily. "I'm sorry." She mouths.

My eyes moved to Louis and I don't like how he looks at me. He seemed to be shocked, disappointed and saddened about what he heard.

God Vivian. Why do you have to be so careless all the time?

"Louis.... I... I thought you were in Los Angeles?" I asked nervously.

"London." He corrected.

I sigh heavily.

"But I flew here instantly to make sure that you and Ben were fine. Niall called me and he was worried about how the paps will act." He answered.

"But don't change the subject Miranda." He says seriously.

Louis stands close to me and I moved my head up to him. I'm nervous as hell. I've never thought Louis would be the one to hear it. Of all people that had to hear it, it had to be Louis. It would be fine if Harry heard it because I can finally tell him. But no, Louis is here. Louis finally discovered the truth. Louis knows Harry is Ben's dad.

"Is it true?" Louis asked me.

"L-Louis.." I muttered.

"Is Harry Ben's father?" He asked me.

I bite my lower lip hard.

"Louis. I think now's not the--"

"Could you please leave us alone for a while Vivian?" He cuts off Vivian. "I wanna talk to my girlfriend alone. Please." Louis spits as he gaze at her over his shoulder.

Vivian glares at me. "Sure." She nervously answered. "I'll just be right outside then."

I watch as Vivian walks out of the room but Louis was just quiet as he looks at me. I don't know how to tell Louis but now that he heard it, I can't lie to him.

"Tell me what I heard wasn't true." He finally speaks. "Tell me Ben's father isn't..." he sighs.

Louis moves his head to Ben then stares back at me. "Tell me Harry isn't Ben's father. Please." Louis begs.

My tears began to fall on my cheeks. "I'm sorry." I apologized as I wipe my tears.

"I'm sorry but... But what you heard is true." My lips were trembling. "I'm so sorry." I whimper. "I'm so sorry Louis. I'm terribly sorry. I wish I can lie but I can't."

I bent my head down low out of shame and I just kept on crying. My tears were streaming down on my cheeks and I don't have enough confidence to face Louis after what he just found out. I don't know why I was feeling totally embarrassed that he found out about Ben and Harry's real relation. "I'm sorry." I repeatedly say.

But it was the most unexpected thing that Louis had done, he wrapped his arms around me and just hugged me silently. He hugged me as tight as he could. I cried on his chest while he rubs my back with his hand. He didn't say a word to me but just hugged me. He just held me. We didn't say anything to each other for the few minutes and we just hugged each other like it was the only thing left to do.

"I don't know what were the things that you've been through before you met me..." I hear Louis speak.

I whimper inwardly.

"I don't know what relationship you've had with Harry before me too." He adds.

My tears kept streaming from my eyes as I listen carefully to Louis. As I feel my lips trembling.

"But I care about your past that you've been hiding from me." He continues.

"Yet I won't force you to tell me right now but I can wait for it." He adds.

Louis releases me and kissed my forehead. "I love you Miranda, so much that I'm willing to accept the entire you. Your past. Your everything. I'm willing to be Ben's father if I had to."

He wipes my tears and smiled at me.

Louis loves me so much and I could see it with the way he looks at me. I can see it with the way he says those words and I can it how he means it. I don't know how to thank him for what he has done and for how he's trying to accept this reality but I know it's hurting him. I know he doesn't like what he heard but he has no choice on it. But the more Louis does things like this, the more he makes me fall in love with him and the more I pity him for some reason that Harry was part of my past.

"Harry doesn't...." I exhale. "Harry doesn't know he's Ben's father yet."

Louis eyes widened. "He doesn't?"

I nod. "I've been hiding it from him for seven years now. I'm not ready to tell him. I can't find the right time. Only a few people know. Three of my close friends including Vivian and now including you."

"Hiding? Why are you hiding it from him? Seven years is far too long enough."

"Will he even believe me if I tell him?" I asked him but Louis remained silent.

"If you were Harry, will you even believe me? And if I tell him the truth, I'm worried about Ben's safety. What if Ben will get rejected? How will the media and the public react to that? I'm sure Audrey won't like it, most especially that they're going to get married and she's pregnant with Harry's baby." I explained further.

Louis cups both of my cheeks and thumbs away my tears. "Don't worry about things like that for now. I won't say a word to him if you don't want me to. Okay?" He asked.

I nod.

"But Im curious how you and Harry did...." he stops and clears his throat.

"If you're ready to tell me, I'll listen. But I'm sure now isn't the right time so I won't force you." He adds.

I nod.

"Just remember that I love all of you. I love your every flaw. I'll love your past too even if it shocked the hell out of me. I love you and Ben, Miranda. Not even the tryth can make me change this love that I feel for you." He says.

I tiptoed and kissed Louis longer than I should. He kisses me back and I feel our tongues playing against each other.

Suddenly I hear the door creaking open and someone dramatically coughs out of nowhere and I'm sure it wasn't Louis cos I was enjoying on kissing him.

Both of us turned to the door and saw Harry standing by the doorway with two cups of Starbucks coffee. Louis and I moved our heads towards each other synchronized. Louis smiles at me and wipes the left teardrops on my cheeks.

"Louis, you're here." Harry blurted.

I watch as Louis place his arm around me and stares at Harry. "Yeah, I flew right away once Niall called me." He answered.

Harry gazes at me. "I've brought you coffee. I didn't know Louis was coming so I only bought two."

"Oh. Louis can have it." I say sheepishly.

Harry placed the drinks on top of the table and I feel so awkward now that louis knows the truth. To be honest, I don't want Louis to figure it out but then I think it will turn out fine that one from One Direction knows it and most especially it's Louis. At least he's trying to accept it and I just wish he won't change the way he treats Ben.

"Thank you for saving Ben and Miranda for me, Harold." Louis says.

I gazed at Harry and he just looked.... displeased? But why does he look like that? Is it because Louis is here?

"If you didn't come around, I'll be worried as hell right now. Thank you very much." He adds.

Harry smiles ruefully. "No problem."

"And why are you here in New York by the way?" Louis asked out of the blue and I was curious why Harry's here too.

Harry: I came here to talk to you.

My breathing starts to become fast even though I try so hard to calm myself down.

My phone vibrates again.

Harry: And I wish I can talk to you before I go back to London.

I take a deep breath in.

Another message came from Harry.

Harry: I'll be waiting at Ludlow hotel for you two days from now. I hope in those days, Ben's already out from the hospital. I'm staying at Presidential Suite Room 1. 7pm.

Ludlow?

He's staying at Ludlow?

•••••

After two days...

I stand right outside Presidential Suite Room 1 as what Harry texted me two days ago. I was late for thirty minutes but I intentionally did it. Actually, I don't know what he wants to talk to me about but I'm still curious. I wonder if it's about Ben because Im sure it is about him hence the asthma attack.

Ben is with Vivian and he just got out from the hospital yesterday. I'm glad that Ben is recovering fast and nothing that is pretty much serious happened to him. Louis flew back to London a while ago to continue his stopped client meeting and I was so thankful he came here to check on me and Ben.

I take a deep breath in before pressing the doorbell. I bite my upper lip while waiting for Harry to open the door.

What are we gonna talk about tonight? What is Harry thinking right now? Did he hear my conversation with Louis two days ago at the hospital?

In ten seconds of waiting, the door swings open and Harry stands before me, wearing a white shirt some black skinny pants and a pair of white hotel fluffy slippers over his white socks.

"Miranda." He greets.

I smiled ruefully at him. "Harry."

He widens the door and I marched inside. Harry leads me to the living room.

"Have you had dinner?" He asked.

"Yeah. I did."

"Want anything to drink?" He offered.

"No thanks. I'm fine. I'm actually in a hurry. I still need to pick up Ben from Vivian's." I lied.

"Oh. Okay. Well, this won't take long. I'll be back in a while." He exits the living room. "Have a seat." He calls out while he enters a door.

I sat down on the couch as I look around the presidential suite of Ludlow Hotel. I don't really have the money to go inside such posh hotels, that's why I savor every second I spend time in hotels as lavishing as this one. It was also expensive looking but I wonder why Harry is staying here. He usually stays in The Royalton. I kept tapping my finger over the other as I wait for Harry to come back to the living room.

I exhale heavily once I saw Harry getting out of the room. He looks at me before taking a seat in the couch right next to me. He had a long silver box on his hand that he opened before placing it on top of the table.

My words ran out and my mind malfunctioned when I saw what I didn't want to see right now.

"I assumed it's yours." He says while locking his eyes eagerly at me.

My 'Rose' necklace that I thought I lost seven years ago. It's still with him. It's been with him all these years?

He kept it?

"Miranda Rose." He says my full name.