Midnight

Chapter 19:

Izzy's POV:

By the time we pull up to the curb of the townhouse I am lightly hitting my head against the window.

"What are you doing?" Harry asks as he opens my door.

"I was seeing how many times I would have to do that before it took out me out of misery." I say.

"Oh and is that what you wore to school? Honey come on you should at least try." My mother says as she walks to the front of the car.

"I can see why." Harry says to me. He begins to pick me up again but I stop him.

"I can walk, I'll just need support." I mostly just didn't want him to carry me up both the stair cases cause what if he couldn't and had to put me down? It would but I giant dent in my self confidence.

"Ok." He holds his hand out and I take it as I get out of the SUV. Once down he wraps his hand around my waist and I lean on him again. My mother ignores us and continues with her rant of what I'm wearing.

"I mean that shirt looks like it belongs on a guy. And with those shoes?" She begins to walk to the townhouse door. I'm just wearing my black converse there is nothing wrong with them.

"You look perfect." Harry whispers to me.

"Your just saying that cause it's your shirt," I whisper back. He smiles and we begin to follow my mother into the house. I zone out when she starts complaining about my hair. By the time we reach the second floor I am out of breath. "It isn't normally this bad." I say to Harry.

"Do you want to go to the hospital?" He asks.

"If you think that will get rid of my mother you are wrong."

"I was actually more concerned with you but I can't say that thought never crossed my mind."

"Izzy is that you?" Perrie comes down the stairs. She looks at me and Harry with a completely confused expression.

"Yup. And this is my mother," I gesture to the women who is examining the couch area. "Run," I whisper to her.

She was about to say something when my mom walks up to her.

"See Izzy now this is how you should dress and do your hair." My mom holds out her hand. Damn Perrie and her perfectness "Hello I'm Isabel's mother."

"Perrie." Perries smiles and takes her hand. I give Perrie a look to remind her what I just told her. "Well it was nice meeting you but I've gotta be going. Have a nice day!" She waves before walking down the stairs.

"Lucky bitch." Harry says under his breath.

"You can leave anytime you want to." I tell him. He glances to my mother then back to me.

"You can't get rid of my that easily." He smiles. He sure is doing a lot of that today.

"Come on Izzy I want to see your room." My mother interrupts our moment again.

"Ok fine."

We climb the next set of stairs and I tell her it's the second door on the right. She walks in, Harry and I not far behind her. As soon as we were all the way I let go of Harry and sit in the floor. It's a miracle I made it this far.

"Don't you wanna sit on the bed?" Harry asks and looks down at me.

"Not right now no." I lean over and place my plans flat on the carpet, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing for what feels like the thousandth time today.

"It's oddly small for two people." My mother comments. For a split second I forgot she was here. That second was so peaceful.

"It's college. Of course it is small."

"Well still-" she begins to rant again. I grunt of annoyance and lay in my stomach. I feel Harry sit next to me.

"Is your back ok?" He asks.

"Just a little bruised." I say.

"Can I see it?"

I look up to see my mother is in the bathroom. I had zoned her out so much that I hadn't even noticed.

"Ya sure."

I feels his fingers gently tug up at the hem of the shirt. I arch my back so he has an easier time sliding it halfway up.

"Holy.." he says. I feel his finger tip lightly skim across my back.

"It looks worse then it feels." I remember looking in the mirror at my back that has yellow and purple bruises all over it.

"And your ankle?" He asks as he pulls my shirt back down.

"It's fine now, I iced it wen I got home."

"I'm so sorry." He breaths.

"Don't be sorry. This is all my fault I should be the one who is sorry." I sit up so I am facing him.

He looks at me sideways. "How is this your fault? If anyone's it's my fathers."

"Your fathers? How would this be your fathers fault?" What the hell is he even talking about?

"That guy that was attacking me. He is one of my fathers 'clients' and he was trying to get me to tell him where my father is. I told him I don't know but he didn't believe me."

I took a sharp breath. One of his father clients? He doesn't know it was my dad? My dad does drugs? Well actually that last one would make a lot of sense.

"Belle you ok?"

"My dad."

"What about your dad?"

I avoid eyes contact with him. "That's who your dads client is. That's who beat you up the other night."

Harry just looks at me with complete confusion. "You mean the guy you beat the shit out of was your father?"

"Yes." I look down at my hands.

"Belle you didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did. He was hurting you. Just like he used to hurt Tim. I thought he was beating you cause you were protecting me though, I didn't know he was..." I break off.

"Hey, it's ok." Harry tilts my chin up so I am looking at him. My mother walks out of the bathroom and clears her throat. Harry drops his hand and gives her an annoyed look.

"Come on honey I thought I raised you better then to date someone like that." She looks at Harry. I also look at Harry who is matching my mothers glare. He didn't correct her that we aren't dating.

"You have no say in who I date." I say and still watch Harry for some sort of reaction. Nothing, he continues his glaring contest with my mother.

"As you mother I-"

"You are not my mother." I state and both their eyes snap to me. Mine dart away from their fixation on Harry and go to my mother.

"Excuse you?" She says.

"You heard me."

"You will not talk to me that way!"

"You have never been my mother and you never will be," I say matter-of-factly. She just looks horrified. I turn to Harry to explain. "My mother died in a car accident when I was young. This is my ex-stepmother. When my father left she had custody over me and Tim."

Harrys face fell from annoyed to pitiful. I can tell he is scanning his brain in an attempt to find something to say.

"It's alright you don't have to say anything. I know you aren't good with words in these situations." I place my hand on his. He gives me a crooked smile. He then pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me. I unfold it to find a note.



Dear Belle,

I love you.

- Your, hopefully soon to be more then, bodyguard



I feel like all the air get sucked out of my lungs. I look from the note back to Harry.

"After reading your note I decided to let my mind write what I truly felt and when I looked down that's what I had written," He explains. I don't know how to react to this. Love? I wasn't aware he was fully capable of feeling love. In fact I'm not sure I'm fully capable of feeling love. "I thought you deserved to know." He looks down at his hands. I think to my book. What would Amber do? I close my eyes and switch my mindset to Ambers. I think about the week and a half I have known Harry. Has it really only been a week and a half? That's regardless. I go over all my feelings for Harry. How I secretly liked it when he tried to see me naked, how our body's fit perfectly together those nights we shared a bed, the way I got so defensive over him when ever anyone insulted him, how I beat up my own father to save him. Holy shit.... I love him....

When I open my eyes I look up at my 'mother'.

"Can you please give us some privacy?"

"Fine. But we will talk about this little outburst later."

"Thank you," I say as she closes the door behind her. "Are you sure about this?" I hold up the letter.

"Yes. I thought about it all yesterday. I am sure." He is sill looking down at his hands.

"You aren't afraid it's to soon? I mean we aren't even dating." I point out.

"No. I know what I feel. And if it's to soon now then it obviously wasn't meant to be."

A smile spreads across my face. "And you say you aren't good with words!"

He lifts his eyes and looks at me. I feel like he is looking right into my soul. But who am I kidding, I'm a ginger, therefor I have no soul.

"Same." I say.

"What?"

I hold up the letter. "Same. But can we hold off on saying it out loud for a while cause it can't possibly be good for my heart, anxiety wise."

"Deal." His face brightens up.

"Ok good. Can I sleep now?" My whole body was already exhausted and now my brain hurts.

"Of course." He gets up and grabs me a pillow and blanket. I lay down on my back on the floor. It hurts at first but as long as I don't move it's fine. I drape one arm over my face and the other lays across my ribcage. Harry lays next to me and links his fingers with the hand what is draped over my ribcage.

"Same." He whispers.

"Same." I whisper back.

I think back to The Fault In Our Stars by John green. Maybe 'same' will be our version of Augustus and Hazel's 'okay'. The thought warms me as I drift to sleep.