Cherry; Harry Styles

18%

♪FOR YOU NOW - BRUNO MERZ♪

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Harry.

"I'm worried about her, Harry." Deven palms his face, his elbows holding him up. When Deven woke up from his deep slumber, I immediately filled him in on Adeline's situation. He was initially in a state of disbelief, trying his hardest to believe the words coming from my mouth. But once it settled in the depths of his mind, he became more worried.

"I know. I am too.." I breathe out, leaning back into the lawn chair.

The day had finally settled in, a pale blue sky with drifting thick clouds decorate the sky above. As the sun poured down like honey on our sunburnt skin, birds and insects sang to us, and lawnmowers roared as they plowed through long strands of grass and dandelions. 

Even though I've only known Adeline Haze for about three weeks now, I feel strangely connected to her. I am worried about her, almost more than Deven it may seem to an outsider. I've come to the conclusion that I've arrived in her life at its breaking point; when everything unravels. Seeing her cry this morning was weighing heavily on my conscious, I had never held someone so broken in my arms, and I don't intend on having to do that again.

She wasn't holding back anything she was feeling, which meant it had to be serious. Usually, Adeline Haze tries to hide her vulnerability, disguising her true feelings behind a fictional persona and masking away any real sadness she holds within. This was mostly because she didn't like to accept her pain, but this time it was different.

She was openly hurting.

She was hurting right before my eyes, and all I could do was feel hopeless. At that moment, when she was there in my arms, I just wanted to reach in and tell the inner workings of her mind that it was all going to be okay, but I couldn't. I didn't have enough proof or reliability to make such a promise to her. And besides, I wasn't entirely sure it was going to be okay.

My mind has been replaying the entire morning. Her eyes were frozen over like the surface of a winter puddle, robbing them of their usual warmth and curiosity. I don't think I'll ever forget the look in her eyes. She was in there, I know it, but she was lost in the deepest parts of herself.

I didn't have the key. I could only physically comfort her, not mentally.

I want to reawaken that distant warmth in her soul, but her insides are too damp with uncried tears. From the day I met her, I knew she was hurting, but now it's more evident on her face. I wish it would go away. I know that's a selfish want; people have a right to their pain. They don't ask for it—it just arrives like the gift you never wanted. But, I won't let myself become accustomed to her tears. I want her to find that happiness she believes she can't obtain.

"She didn't properly think this one through." Deven reappears from the palm of his hands, turning to look at me. "This is the first place her family will look when they start looking for her."

"So..what are we going to do?" I question. "Going home won't be an option for her."

"That's where I'm stuck." Deven sighs.

"Does she have any other family that we could reach out to? What about that girl...Lucy?" I weigh out all of our options.