NOTE: this is the happy ending, but if you want to just have it end at the last chapter then thats up to you!

***

Three days. Twelve hours.

Not that she was counting.

His eyes still burned through her mind like a reopened wound, aching with the painful longing even as she got ready for work in the morning. Her fingers slotted through her hair, which seemed to be rebellious this morning, the dark strands refusing to settle in the way she desired. Carmen huffed to herself, frustrated, and threw the comb in her hand at the mirror.

"I should just shave it all off," she mumbled to herself. Her eyes drifted away from her reflection as she collected her purse and apron, and ventured off to work. She decided to walk, since the restaurant wasn't that far away. Shortly into her walk, however, she realized that it was impossible to go even a minute without being reminded of her encounter with him.

The cars rushing by reminded her of the short and silent cab ride they had shared together.

The toddler holding onto his mother's hand reminded her of what she would never be able to give him.

It was like the universe itself was out to get her, to shove every insecurity and mistake in her face until she suffocated.

Finally, after what felt the longest walk of her life, she made it to Villa Parma. The restaurant wasn't nearly as busy in the morning as it was during the evening, which she was grateful for. Having a shift at night always took a toll on her. Waiting on old men who complained about the rawness of their steak, having to carry several dishes at once; it was stressful to say the least.

"Glad you're here," Barbara sighed in relief when Carmen entered the kitchen, tying the black apron around her waist. "There's a man at table four who is asking for you to serve him. Specifically you."

Carmen's slender fingers froze, the apron falling from her waist. There was no doubt in her mind who that man was, and it made her blood boil and the hairs at the back of her neck stand up in excitement and confusion.

"I, um... I will go serve him in a minute." Her teeth gnawed at her lip in angst. What was he here for? Did he want to say one last goodbye? Maybe he wanted to yell at her and give her the shit she deserved?

All these thoughts were racing through her mind as she retrieved her apron from the kitchen floor and tied it around her skim waist. Palms covered with a film of sweat, nails scratching at her wrists, Carmen inhaled a deep breath before straightening her spine, as if to gain the confidence she obviously lacked in the moment, and sashayed out of the kitchen. The buzzing noise around her seemed muted when her eyes landed on the face she had seen only days ago.

His hands were clasped together in front of him on the tabel, his knuckles protruding under the rough skin. There was the hint of a smirk on his lips, the corner of them twitching up as his jade eyes found hers. Harry's smug expression made her insides boil with anger. How dare he come here and smirk at her, when she was just moments away from falling apart.

"Morning," he was the first to speak when she stopped in front of the table he was seated at. His casualness only pushed her irritation over the edge.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed in a whisper. "You are supposed to be in London by now."

"That is no way to talk to a paying customer, miss," he hummed, his smirk etching further. He grabbed the cloth napkin and elegantly spread it over his lap. Her eyes instinctively flickered to his crotch as he laid the napkin over it, the ever present bulge not even barely concealed by the white fabric.

"Harry, I am serious," her voice lowered, eyebrows knitting together. "What are you doing here?" Despite her nervousness, she appeared collected and somewhat threatening, but Mr. Styles simply chuckled in response.

"I am having breakfast at my new favorite restaurant." His fuchsia lips tucked in to his mouth to miserably hide his grin. He cocked his head to the side. "I think I might come here regularly from now on."

Carmen's lips parted to let out a stunned response but the words failed to make it out. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and Harry didn't need to hear the words to know what she was attempting to ask him.

"I bought an apartment," he spoke smoothly, dimples popping out. Carmen's eyes widened drastically. "Not too far from here. On 7th street."

"That's my street," she whispered, and brought her fingers to her lips. "You're lying."

"I'm not. Now take a seat." He waved his hand towards the empty chair on the other side of the table. The demanding tone of his voice didn't missed a beat, but Carmen had never been one to listen, not even to him. She shook her head slowly and pulled out the small pad of paper from her apron pocket.

"I am working, sir. What can I get for you this morning?" She used every ounce of her strength to keep her voice steady despite the unease gnawing at her conscious. Why would Harry move to New York? And why would he tell her like this, so casually, while she was at her job?

Was he trying to mess with her crumbling heart to get revenge?

"Carmen, sit down or I will drag you to the bathroom and fuck your brains out until you agree."

A startled and slightly aroused look washed over her face. Biting her lip and looking around for a moment, she sighed in defeat (this man always had a strong effect on her) and sat down in the empty chair.

"I thought I had made things clear the other night," Carmen spoke, huffing out a breath. Her eyes flickered between the man before her and the wood of the table, as though she physically couldn't look at him for too long.

Harry nodded his head slowly and reached his hand across the table, fingers latching around hers and his thumb gliding gently over her knuckles. Carmen's gaze drifted to their joined hands, a subtle longing sprouting in her for more of his touch.

"You did make things clear," his voice was much softer than it had been only a minute prior, and the smug tone had dissipated. She could feel her cement walls cracking yet again because of him. "I need you to listen to me right now, baby. Really listen because this is the last time I am going to do this. I just won't have anymore of myself to give to you after this."

"I... okay." She tucked her hair behind her ear, teeth never failing to gnaw at her bottom lip. She wanted to pull her hand away from his and tell him that he was wasting her time, but they both knew she would never be able to do that. Carmen loved him.

Harry's eyes fluttered close for a moment, as if reveling in the potentially final encounter of theirs, before he spoke.

"I understand," his voice was so light, she could feel its gentle caress on her skin. "I understand why you did what you did, and I understand why you came here. Believe it or not, I even understand why you think you aren't worthy of being with me. I don't agree with it, of course, but I can see why you would feel that way about yourself. Look- I'm going to tell you a story and maybe that will open your eyes a bit."

He took a deep, well-needed breath and Carmen watched him carefully.

"My father was a horrible man, to say the least. I didn't see him much when I was young, he was always off doing God knows what, probably sleeping with other women than my mother and making many lives miserable. The things that he did are still a mystery to me, but it's safe to assume his habits weren't ethical or legal." He cracked a smile but the air was still thick with the weight of his words. "Anyway, it was my twentieth birthday, and I was getting ready to go out with some friends, you know, the usual. Someone was at the door, though, when I was about to leave. It was someone who I had never seen before, but I knew right away why he was there. The gun in his pocket was a bit of a giveaway."

Harry's tongue snaked over his teeth as he relived the memory in his mind.

"He asked me where Mr. Styles was. And mind you, I fucking hated my father, I mean absolutely despised him. So, naturally, I told him where he was."

Carmen stared at him in silence, her eyes darting around as she put two and two together. The tension between Harry and his family made sense now; he had indirectly been the reason for his own father's murder.

"Why are you telling me this now?" she questioned softly, breaking Harry from his thoughts. His eyes met hers and he smiled.

"Because, Carmen. My entire life has been inherently fucked up, along with the people around me, and I have always felt confused and misguided... until I met you. My parents' relationship tainted my outlook on marriage, but yet when I went to my sister's wedding, all I could think about is how beautiful you would look in a white gown, with a veil over your face."

Harry reached out to caress her cheek, a fond smile on his lips. He could practically hear his own heart beat, though he wasn't sure if it was his or Carmen's.

"We have been apart for months, and yet I have never felt more in love with you than this moment. I know you told me to leave and that we would never be able to be together, because you feel as though you are not good for me. Where I come from- my family, my past- is not any better than where you come from, Carmen. We are not defined by our histories. You are living in NewYork, the place you always dreamed of! You have become so much more than some scared girl growing up without her mother... You are the most amazing person I have ever met and if you are willing, I would like to spend the rest of my life attempting to make you see yourself the way I see you."

"I know this isn't the most proper place for this sort of thing," Harry continued before Carmen could even register the situation. He kept one hand around hers, while his other hand dug into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Naturally, Carmen gasped in surprise and disbelief.

"I'm not proposing," he said before she had a mere heart attack right in front of him. "I know we aren't anywhere near ready for that, but this-" His thumb flipped open the box, revealing a simple silver band. "-Is to show you that I am not going to give up no matter how much you try to push me away. You should know by now I am a very persistent man, Carmen." The infamous smirk yet again slithered onto his lips, but this time there was a gleam of nervousness and radiant joy in his eyes. He was not the same man as he was eight months ago. His natural arrogance still lingered, but he had now experienced true heartbreak, so his emerald eyes were much softer and wiser than they used to be.

"I don't know what to say," was all that came out of her mouth, breaking the short-lived silence.

Harry took the ring out from the box and slipped it on her finger.

"Say that you will promise me the same, that you will never give up on us."

"I don't know if I can promise that-"

"Carmen," Harry cut her off and gave her hand a soft squeeze. "I am well aware that you still need time to do some self-discovering and healing, but all that I am asking is that you allow me to be here for you. And, of course, that you promise to be with me when you are ready. I may be persistent, but I am also patient."

Carmen stared at him. Eyes unblinking, shallow breaths flooding her slightly flared nostrils, heart pulsing violently in her chest. She thought back to the night she had laid in his bed, curled up against the tear-stained pillow, with images of Harry and a beautiful blonde polluting her mind. It was that night she realized she truly, madly, deeply loved him, and now here she was, with the same man she cried over sitting before her, offering something that was worth more than what any man had ever bought her.

"Fuck you, Harry," she mumbled, and watched as his face fell significantly. "Fuck you... you know I can't say no to you when you are looking at me like that."

His face lit up once again, a breathtaking grin replacing his frown. "I can be quite the manipulater. Something we have in common, huh?"

"Shut up." Carmen smiled, a smile that made her appear young and careless, and practically lurched her body forward, face centimeters from his. Their lips molded together in a teeth-clanking kiss, their smiles never fading. Her hand grasped the back of his neck to pull him impossibly closer, her fingers tangled in the small curls that littered the nape of his neck.

"I love you," Carmen said into his mouth, letting him taste the words. She felt free in that moment, finally being able to say the three words that had been imprisoned in her heart.

"I love you," he repeated. "Fuck, I'm crazy about you."

Carmen simply giggled against his lips and kissed him harder.

********

THE END

i think i might do an epilogue not sure tho