SARAH {harry styles fanfiction}

Twenty

Louis nudges my side as I stand next to the faded, worn out juke box. I look up to see Harry sitting alone in one of the diners booths.

"Go." Louis says. "Either you tell him or I do."

"Tell who, what?" Harry asks. I didn't see him walk over to us. He stands above me looking down at Louis and I, waiting for one of us to speak.

"I'm going to go find Liam." Louis says, awkwardly.

"No. You can stay." Harry points at him to sit back down. "I want to know what's going on here."

I can tell that he's getting upset already, by the way he has raised his voice.

"Alright, alright. Sit down." I tell him. "This has nothing to do with Lou. So relax."

"It obviously has something to do with him, you two have been fucking inseparable, like two peas in a fucking pod."

"Haz." Louis shakes his head, and looks down at his hands. He looks up at me with a sad gaze, but an encouraging nod. He takes my hand. "Go on. It'll be okay."

I nod and look to Harry. "What? Have you two been fucking? Does Liam know? No of course he doesn't. Look at him, smiling away as if nothing is going on."

"Harry, will you just shut up." I shout. People from the surrounding booths and tables look up at us and stare at my objection. "Nothing is going on between us."

"Then what is it?" He asks.

"I have a problem." I tell him. "I don't want you to get angry with me, because I didn't know how to tell you this before. Louis only knows because I broke down and told him."

He loses his anger when I say I have a problem. It's replaced with worry and concern. He pushes his curls from his eyes, sits closer to the table, and takes my other hand. "What is it Princess? What's wrong?"

"Okay, so all throughout my childhood I dated this guy, Eric. When high school came around, Eric made some friends on the football team. At the time, a lot of our friends were hooking up and drinking and we didn't want to be left out, so one weekend, sophomore year, his football buddies invited us to a party. We got there and within minutes he had downed 3 beers. It was the first time either of us had ever had anything to drink. I had just finished my first when he came over to me." I swallowed hard and took a breath. "I could tell that something was wrong, so I followed him upstairs, where he lead me to an empty room at the end of the hall. I shouldn't have gone in that room. It was dark, and appeared to be empty. The door slammed and a couple of his buddies came out of the shadows, I didn't know any of them, but Eric assured me that it was okay. I was so small and defenseless and Eric was so wasted, it didn't take long for them to distract him and attack me. I was thrown on the bed, my clothes were ripped off and they,"

I paused. His face turned to stone cold and he sat up straighter, releasing my hand.

"They what?" A tear slid down my cheek, Louis put his arm around me and rubbed my arm. "What did they do?"

"They, ugh, they took turns. All I remember is screaming for help, and no one would help me. No one came to help. There were so many guys so close to me, hitting me, using me, kissing me, all I could do was cry. I don't know how long it was before they were all finished. They left me there, on the bed, naked, and crying. Eric was passed out in the bathroom. He had been in there the whole time, listening to them, letting them hurt me."

"That son of a bitch." Harry slams his fist on the table. "Where is he? Where is he now?"

"Eric was arrested our senior year for attempted rape on a freshman." I tell him. He sits back, exhaling. "There's more."

"More?" His eyes turn into a scowl as he waits for me to continue.

"Apparently, he made bail." I tell him. "And he's been coming to our shows."

"What? How do you know?"

"He has been texting me, leaving me voicemails, commenting on my outfits and the way I wear my hair."

"Why didn't you tell me this?" He asks.

"I didn't know how." I tell him. "And I didn't want you to pity me or be mad at me."

"Be mad at you? I could never be mad at you." And then something clicks in his mind. "That's why you flinch sometimes when I get close to you."

Louis stands from the table, and walks away. Harry takes his seat and grabs my hands, holding them close to his mouth.

He kisses each knuckle. "I would never hurt you."

"I know. In hindsight, I should have told you sooner. Trust me, I believe you." I say.

"But,"

"But, I'm scared. I've been scared. I haven't been close to another boy since that incident. I couldn't. I couldn't stand the sight of them, let alone be intimate with one." I sigh. "My feelings for you scare me. Your feelings for me, scare me."

"Don't be scared, my love." He caresses my cheek. "I will never ever lay my hand on you."

I nod into his palm. He brings my face close to his and presses his lips softly against mine. I press harder against him, deepening the kiss, forgetting where we are and how many people are watching us. I hear a camera click, but ignore it. I am mesmerized by him, intoxicated with his familiar scent and lust for me. My phone pings on the table, alerting me of a new message. We break apart, he grabs my phone and scowls.

"What is it?" I ask him. I turn his hand so that I can see the message.

How dare you kiss him in front of me. This will not go unnoticed.

A man, rises from the table closest to the door. He's wearing a baseball cap with my high school logo, a grey hoodie and jeans. He doesn't look over his shoulder when the waitress calls out to him, he kicks the glass door open, shattering it, as he leaves. My phone pings again.

See you tonight baby. I hope you have an exciting show.

Harry reads he text, jumps from the booth and runs out the doorframe. I follow him, with Zayn and Niall close on my heels. We reach the sidewalk and look around the busy street. There is no sign of the man. The four of us stand there, looking around in circles, but see nothing. A lump rises in my throat and I back against the brick wall. I hold onto it as the tears start falling down my cheeks. Harry rushes to my side as I slide down the wall. He wraps me into him, holding me tight, soothing me. Liam and Louis appear, standing beside Zayn and Niall above us.

"What happened?" Louis asks.

"He was here." I tell him. "Right here."