She's Not Afraid (Harry Styles )

Chapter 13

Autumn

The months after I left London seemed to pass agonizingly slow. After Harry called me I felt better about where things between us were. We texted every day, even if it was just good morning and goodnight. Their tour had started and he was busy with that, and I was busy between work and my classes.  I had used a few of the pictures I had taken while in London and some of the castle Harry took me to for some assignment and was getting good grades. We had managed to skype each other once a week, and I would tell him how school was. I could tell he was proud of me, even when he didn’t say it, and he said it a lot.

I had also told my mom about Harry, and the other boys, and how I was opening up to them. She cried when I first told her. She was the only other person in the world, aside from Louis now, who knew what had happened to me. I also told her about accidentally telling Louis and she told me it was good that I had told someone else, even if I hadn’t meant to.

The boys stopped in New York for a week, doing a few tv things and a couple radio interviews, along with their concert. I spent the week with Harry, and while we hadn’t kissed again, I found that I was more comfortable with him. Unfortunately we had been spotted while out together and he got asked about it. He was really smooth about it. Saying that while we weren’t officially together, that he really liked me and that we were figuring it out slowly.  I didn’t have to go through as much of the hate as I thought, since I didn’t have twitter or a desire to have one, and no one had mentioned my name. A few kids from school had recognized me and asked me about it, and I just responded by telling them we were friends for now, and that I wasn’t quite ready for a relationship.

I had passed all my classes and had started working full time, while trying to find work as a photographer. I was getting a bit discouraged and thought that maybe I should have picked something a little more realistic as a career choice. I voice my fears to Kat and to Harry. Both said not to worry, that I was an amazing photographer and would find work really soon.

It was my turn to close up the little café I worked at for the night. It was 3AM and a Friday night and business had been decent, mostly because all the drunk college and university students had come in wanting coffee or food.  It was a cloudy night and was a bit darker than usual as I was locking up. Kat was supposed to meet me, and hadn’t showed up yet. I pulled out my phone and saw that I had a text from her saying her train had been late and that she would be there soon, and one from Harry asking how my day went, along with a missed call from my mom and a voice mail.

I answered Harry’s text and told him it had been okay and that I missed him, before checking my voice mail “Sweety it’s me. You need to call me back as soon as you get this, it’s very important. I don’t want to say anything over voice mail so pleas call me.” My mothers voice sounded a bit panicked, which worried me. There wasn’t much that could make her sound like that. My first thought was that something had happened to one of my grandparents, I mean they were pushing 90. Worried, I started to  call her back when I heard footsteps approaching me. I looked up, thinking it was Kat, and my face went pale. “Hello beautiful. Miss me?” I let out a startled and strangled sound. “No, this isn’t real. You’re not really here, you’re in jail” I said as panic filled my voice. “I was in jail. I got out on good behaviour. You didn’t think I would stay locked up forever did you? Didn’t think I wouldn’t get out and come looking for you? You’re mine Autumn, you’ll always be mine.” He said, taking a step towards me. I stepped back, hitting the side of the door way to the café. “I’m not yours. Not anymore.” I said, the words coming out in a whisper. “Oh right, your sisssy little pop star boyfriend. Well he isn’t here now is he? No one is here babe. No one to stop me from finishing what I started two years ago.” He said, grabbing my neck. He was slowly strangling me. “Please” I managed to breath out before he let go and punched me in the stomach. I doubled over in pain before he hit me again, causing me to fall to the ground. “Stupid little bitch. I’m going to make you pay” he spat as he started to kick me.  He kicked me a couple of times, one of them hitting me in the head, causing me to black out.

I came to slightly, hearing someone screaming my name, crying before blacking out again. The next time there were voices around me and bright lights. Someone was calling my name but I didn’t know who it was. All I wanted to do was sleep, so I did. I kept drifting between awake and the blissful empty sleep, catching a few words here and there. There was something about extensive injuries, and being lucky about someone getting there when they did. It couldn’t be me they were talking about, so I would drift back off into sleep. I remember waking up and not being able to move or open my eyes. I remember familiar male voices talking around me. “I’m going to fucking kill him. He better watch his fucking back” I heard a low male voice say, followed by mumbling. I had also heard the same voice yelling about someone not telling them, and then soft hands gently running through my hair, begging me not to leave them. I recognized that voice, that was Harry, my Harry. I could hear him crying, begging me to come back to him. I wanted to desperately but I was so tired. I tried to fight it, tried to tell him I was there, that I wasn’t leaving, but it was too hard. I found myself falling back into the empty, dreamless sleep.

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