Innocence Lost (Official)

Chapter 15

I tried to move around her, but she stepped in front of me. "Wait," she said, putting her hands up harmlessly. "I just want to say something," she tried to comfort as I stepped back guardedly.

I narrowed my eyes at her and looked back once more. I crossed my arms over my chest and pressed my lips together. "Go on."

She sighed and looked around with an unknown emotion. "I'm sorry." She played with her fingers and I frowned in slight shock. "I was inappropriate that first night," she admitted, twirling a piece of hair in her fingers. "I told myself that it was for your own good, honestly," she said so quietly. She shook her head. "And I'm sorry about Jake, too."

I flinched at the mention of him and immediately grew even more uncomfortable.

"I grew up with him and I never thought he was capable of something like that," she continued. "He's always been sort of a family kind of guy, I guess." She shrugged. "But what he did was wrong. Trust me, I thought he would've known better since he knew what..." She trailed off and didn't finish as her gaze focused on something behind me. "Hello, Harry."

I turned around and saw Harry approaching us, coming up behind me. He set a hand on my shoulder and smiled a little. "Sasha," he greeted.

She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't being mean," she immediately defended. "I was giving her my condolences." She glared at him. "So don't look at me like that." I looked back and forth between the two and saw Harry was trying to resist a grin while she pointed a finger at him.

"I wasn't-"

"Later, guys," she dismissed, poking her tongue out at Harry before disappearing down the stairs.

I watched her in slight awe. I looked back at Harry who was shaking his head fondly. He looked down at me and said, "Come on. We need to talk."

-

"I can't believe I'm gonna spend a week with him alone!"

Harry's news that he revealed was related to what I'd been eavesdropping on. They'd decided that Harry was going to stay behind and babysit me, but he would be the only one here to watch me.

Perfect.

The girls laughed at my petty troubles and Perrie said, "I wouldn't let it bother you, babe. Harry's pretty harmless when you don't piss him off."

"Yeah," Eleanor joined. "Unless he tries to murder you with his humor," she giggled making the others laugh. They'd invited over three other ladies that I was just meeting for the first time, but one of them, Jesy, had this distinct motherly cackle that made you roll over laughing too.

Jesy was the oldest one of them, I think and she was gorgeous. She had tan skin and these thick red lips with green eyes that were winged with eyeliner. Her hair appeared to be a very deep red that appeared brown, too, and her figure was gorgeously curvy.