Through The Dark COMPLETED

Chapter 38

Just over three weeks had passed since JJ had left. Niall had to leave the day after they found her letter. It was almost Christmas. Amanda was just struggling to go on normally. No one had heard from JJ and Amanda still wasn't sure where Harry's head was. She had just arrived home from work and was going through mail from the day before, when she heard a key in the lock. She turned around to see JJ walking in the door with her bag. She dropped the mail and ran up and hugged JJ so tight. "Oh, my god, I was so worried.  I'm so glad you're ok!"

Julie saw Amanda rush up to her and dropped her bag when she started to wrap her arms around her. "I'm ok. I'm sorry."

"I'm so mad at you!" Amanda said pulling back from her. "You should have told me! I should not have found out from a letter you left!"

"I know. I'm sorry. I was in a bad way. I couldn't get my head right." Julie told her. "I didn't know what to do. So, I did the only thing I knew."

"Have you talked to Harry?" Amanda asked.

"No, I tried calling him last night but he didn't answer. He hasn't called me back. I can only imagine how angry he is at me. I don't blame him. I don't know if he'll forgive me. That may be my one true regret in this." Julie said. Her voice broke with some emotion. But she tried to hold it together.

"Where did you go for three weeks, JJ?" Amanda asked trying to hold back her own tears.

Julie's phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was Harry. "Panda I will talk to you. But I have to answer this. It's Harry." She said pressing the answer button. "Hi, Harry." She said as she walked towards her room.

Amanda watched her. She looked different. She looked tired, worn out. But somehow less stressed. Somehow less tense. She couldn't wait to find out the details. She needed to call Niall. Tell him at least JJ was safe.

"Hi." Harry said. He debated all night whether or not to call her back. He didn't sleep at all. He fought with himself because of how angry he was she just disappeared. He decided he couldn't just leave it the way it was. There needed to be a decision either way, about whether or not he still wanted a relationship, or even if she wanted one. Now that he called though, he didn't know what to say.

"How are you, Harry?" Julie asked quietly. She knew he would be angry. She knew it would be hard.

"I've been better. Seems my girlfriend decided to leave me without telling me, or even where she was going. Haven't heard from her in three weeks. Well at least she was my girlfriend the day she left." He said. His voice breaking. He cleared his throat. "Not sure anymore."

"I'm sorry." Julie said trying, but failing, to stop her tears. "At the time, I didn't know what to do. I need to talk to you, Harry."

"You are talking to me." He said a bit shortly.

"I mean in person." She said.

"You had that chance. Three weeks ago." Harry said angrily.

Julie took a deep breath. She hurt him. She knew she did. "I know. Harry, I did what I thought I needed too. I did what I knew. I pulled away. I ran. I was scared. I had to remember every detail of my past. I pushed away the feelings and the hurt. I turned my heart off. I had too. I felt like I was dying."

"You could have come to me!" He said into the phone gruffly. "You could have talked to me about it! You could have trusted me! Instead you ran off to who knows where and did who knows what! I didn't know for three weeks if you were even ok! That is NOT ok Julie!"

"I know." Julie said quietly. She had to take a minute. The tears were flowing now. "I was scared when you wanted me to talk to someone else. When it felt like you were giving up on me, and trying to pass me off onto someone else."