✓ Meanwhile [h.styles]

.eight.

Harry stops the car at a gas station that's connected to a grocery store. His hands ache a little and he's a bit shaken up from what happened minutes ago. The moment the tires screech on the cement, Astraya's door is open and she's walking away. He gets out of the car himself and watches her disappear into the building with her head down and hands in the pockets of her sweater.

He stands lost for a moment as he tries to get into her mindset, figure her out without having to ask her. He leaves the car on idle and walks into the store, finding the cashier behind a plastic barrier in the station. A $20 bill is slipped onto the counter for some gas as he scans the small space. There are only six other people scattered around different aisles besides them. Astraya's eyes are wide and her lips part when her gaze meets his from where she's standing.

Her bottom lip trembles a little and he takes small strides closer until he's in front of her, backing her up softly in the corner so she doesn't see anything but him. It's clear that she's anxious and nervous, and Harry doesn't know what to do. He's never had to know what to do in a situation like this. It's all so new; this feeling and the girl that comes with it.

"Hey," he whispers, bringing his fingers down to remove her hands from her pockets. They're limp and warm and he tries to comfort her by running the pads of his thumbs over them.

"They're staring at me," she says quietly, voice shaking and eyes wild.

Something doesn't feel right in his chest but he ignores it and keeps his attention on her instead. The cashier is trying to get his attention somewhere in the background noise but he's too occupied to want to properly acknowledge the other man. Right now it's just Astraya. "No one is looking at you," he lowers his voice further. "You're okay."

"They know." She drops her head to hide her face from him. He wonders if she feels embarrassed. "They know what I did."

Harry frowns at her words and tries to think back to his first kill. He remembers having Joshua there afterward and going through his own stage of guilt and disgust for himself. Remembers not wanting to talk to anybody for two weeks, so he doesn't know what to do since Astraya obviously isn't like him. She needs to talk this out and he's not the person to help her do it. Harry's not comfortable with confrontation. He moves a hand up to pick her head up so she's looking at him again. "You didn't do anything wrong. Keep your eyes on me. Great, don't look anywhere else. You did nothing wrong."

He turns with her and walks out from the secluded aisle. She nods but keeps to his side just in case she decides to look up. People are surely looking at them now. Trying to find out what just transpired between the rough looking man and the scared girl next to him. They walk back to the cashier who eyes them suspiciously. Harry tells him which pump to put the money in, and then they walk back to the car slowly.

Once she's sitting in the passenger side, he fuels up on gas and gets behind the wheel again, this time waiting before pulling out onto the road.

"Liam will meet us at the house," he decides to inform, keeping his tone low and gentle.

She looks up at him with glossed eyes, bottom lip caught between her teeth. The forefinger and thumb of her right hand begin to pinch the skin of her left hand but Harry doesn't say anything to stop it. "Really?"

"Yeah," he nods. "Both of you are staying there for a few days. It's safer that way. Maybe you can talk to him."

She's silent for a minute and he takes the opportunity to start the car and drive back onto the road.

There aren't many cars on the highway so the drive is shorter than it usually is at this time.

"Does he hate me?"