Across the Pond (Prince Harry #2)

Chapter Eleven

Meredith woke on Sunday morning to a dark room. Even though she had gone to bed only five hours ago, there wasn't a way for her to stay asleep. Her heart pounded quickly as she laid in bed, listening to silence. Even her residents weren't awake yet, which was marvelous. Last night she heard them running up and down the hallway at three in the morning, but by that time, Meredith was tucked into her bed and unable to move. Possibly most of them came back to the dorm drunk, but Meredith didn't have the energy to deal with that so early in the morning.

Pulling out her phone, Harry hadn't texted her or anything. It was on going silence from him. Since ending the call yesterday, Harry hadn't contacted her again. He meant to give her space, and Meredith liked the feeling. But as she laid in her bed, she had never felt so alone. Meredith missed the days of waking up beside Harry, with a warm body and even a warmer smile.

Meredith unlocked her phone and looked to see if the phone just didn't show any new messages. Yet there weren't any new messages. Meredith stared up at her ceiling again. Making a quick and stupid decision, she opened Facebook and found herself trending. Meredith hovered over her name, unsure if she should pressed on it. In the end, she did press on her name.

The first article came up, claiming Little Girl has Royal Meltdown. The second article said The Brat Strikes Again. The third article screamed The Child Prince Harry Dates Has Tantrum. All three articles used pictures from the day before to make their point. Meredith, screaming at the paparazzi, sat behind her steering wheel; she looked as if she was ready to run them over. Meredith clicked on none of the articles, but by her trending, someone had clicked on the articles.

The fourth article said Paparazzi Gone Too Far? Meredith read the title again just to be sure she didn't miss anything. The fifth article agreed with the fourth article, showing pictures of Meredith being tripped by the paparazzi and them cramming around her car, not allowing her to go anywhere. However with these articles further down, it seemed like no one really cared about them.

The sixth article went back to claiming Meredith as Blonde Brat Back at it. Meredith put her phone back down on the bed.

Though this room was her home for nine months out of the year, and she had made it her home, Meredith felt boxed in, like she couldn't breathe. It was better than yesterday, thankfully, and Meredith feared to venture outside. Paparazzi would surely follow. But she needed to be anywhere but here. She needed to be by the ocean.

An ocean wasn't a choice she had. By being in Wisconsin, next to Minnesota, it was a landlocked state. Pacific and Atlantic oceans were too far away. But Lake Superior was close enough, and it was big enough. If she wanted people, she would go to Canal Park in Duluth, Minnesota. But Meredith wanted to be alone with the water and her thoughts, so she chose Wisconsin Point.

With the sun starting to rise, Meredith rose from her bed and dressed. The sun was off the horizon as she walked out to her car. Meredith only turned for a second to see if anyone followed her. She was alone. Meredith glanced at the front of the building, but there wasn't any paparazzi either.

The drive to Wisconsin Point was in peace. There weren't many cars on the road yet except for semi-trucks that came and went. Once getting through Superior, she was only on the highway for a minute or two before exiting to the left. The gravel roads made Meredith's car shake, making her tremble a bit as a reminder from yesterday.

Finding somewhere secluded on the path out to the lighthouse, she parked and got out. Dead leaves crunched under her feet as thick branches from above her blocked out some light. Sand shifted under her feet after reaching the small hill. Tall, green grass rolled along the sand. The wind picked up, blowing Meredith's hair. Waves on the dark blue water lapped across the sand, hitting the rocks as they came up. Long plants of drift wood naturally laid around.

The lighthouse stood in the back. Across the bay, Duluth rested on the hill. Superior lined the coast. Meredith took off her shoes so she could feel the chill in the air as it curled around her body. Her toes felt frozen after two steps, but she continued on. The waves did get to her toes eventually, and Meredith rushed out of the water. Once her life, when she was much younger, none of this would bother her.

Finding a quiet enough place, Meredith sat down on driftwood and stared out at the lake. It was no use to look toward Canada; it was too far away. Though she looked out at the horizon, Meredith didn't think about it too much. The water was too cold to jump in, but she thought of swimming away. She couldn't, and she knew that.

Meredith got up and walked along the beach again, wishing someone was with her. It wasn't just someone but it was Harry. It was warmer on their first date when he took her to North Berwick in Scotland. Now, winter was moving in and everything was dying off.

A breeze came off the lake, whipping her hair around. Meredith froze. The wind became stronger, almost knocking her off her feet. She listened as the wind weaved around her. Closing her eyes, she was ready for the wind to take her. It was like a song to her ears, and it called her name. With the chill and the waves, Meredith knew where she belonged.

Pulling out her phone, Meredith texted Harry. I love you, Harry. Slipping the phone back into her pocket, Meredith continued her walk across the icy sand, waiting for the snow to start falling.