Infatuated (hsau)

chapter 81.

Eventually we reached the graveyard and all three of us jumped out the car in the blink of an eye. The car park looks over the whole lot and Harlow's mothers grave is right in the corner, so instinctively that's where my eyes first headed.

I yelled her name before my eyes even had time to process what they were seeing.

There was somebody there, somebody sat with their knees up to their chest and something was telling me that it wasn't just somebody visiting the grave next to her mums, because I know birdy when I see her.

So I called her name again and took off, sprinting down the steps and down the field as I shouted again. The sounds of footsteps behind me confirmed Josie and Liam were following, and when they shouted her name it made me feel a little less crazy.

I thought I was seeing things, thought I was just imagining her there because it's what I wanted to see, but if I'm imagining then so are Liam and Josie.

The closer I got the more I began to realise that in front of me was in fact Harlow and my mind wasn't just playing cruel tricks on me

There's rips in her clothes and dirt on her face. There's bags under her eyes and tears staining the flesh of her cheeks. There's blue and purple on the side of her head with a stream of dried blood stopping at her cheekbone.

She looks so worn out.

As soon as I was close enough I threw myself down on the ground and wrapped my arms around her, tugging her straight into my chest. My heart has never been beating so fast and I don't think this many tears have left my eyes at one time before.

Hearing her cry breaks my heart, but I can't even do anything to make it better because I'm just as bad. The last time I cried was the day Adriana died, now I'm kneeling on the ground with Harlow in my eyes crying just as hard as I did that night, which is exactly how I know that I've hit a low point.

I shouldn't be feeling like this, I should be relieved and I'm over the moon that I've found her, but it looks as if the only thing I've found is her injured body. She didn't wrap her arms around me like I hoped she would, instead she just leaned her head against my chest and let me hold her there.

"I thought I lost you." I swallowed back another wave of tears as I heard the footsteps presumably belonging to Liam and Josie behind me.

I removed one of my hands from her waist and held it behind my back, signalling for them to stay there because knowing Harlow, she doesn't want them seeing her like this. Besides if they see the way my eyes are bloodshot and leaking tears as violently as they are they'll probably think I've been possessed.

"Talk to me birdy. Please, I need to hear your voice." I begged, brushing the hair from her face that's been soaked with her tears and holding her head firmly in at my chest.

"You're..." her voice sounded weak and exhausted which sent daggers flying straight to my heart, "you're...you're hurting me."

I pulled my hands off her immediately, not even realising how tightly I was holding her. I should've thought about that, she looks like she's in so much pain and me being the selfish person I am, thought about myself and my need to feel her before I thought of how she feels.

"I'm so sorry, baby I didn't mean-"

When she sits herself up properly she shuffles away from me and rests her head back on the top of her knees and just the motion of her moving away from me was enough to send the waves of tears back over me.