Drifter | (Harry Styles AU) • COMPLETE

Chapter 24.

"Yeah I got time, I can wait 20 minutes," I tell the cab driver that I caught pulling out of the lot, "I'll be right.."

I stop midsentence when I see Anissa frantically walking towards the woods.

What the hell is she doing?

"Sir? You'll be where?"

"Sorry, I'll be waiting right here," I tell him slowly standing from the curb as I watch Anissa enter the woods. The driver gives me a bizarre look before exiting the lot.

10:43am

She's been in there for at least 10minutes already, despite how hurt I am I still care about Anissa, I have to see if she's okay, I can't just stand here.

What if she doesn't realize it's almost time to board and gets left behind?

I run into the woods and take the trail to my right, following the direction I saw Anissa enter.

I only walk a few feet before I see her sitting on a log near a river, she has her hands on the sides of her face.

"Anissa?" I call out to her quietly. She turns around quickly, and I notice her cheeks are wet and her eyes blood shot - she was crying.

"Are you hurt?" I ask walking over to her momentarily forgetting my anger towards her.

She jumps up from the log and rushes to me, hugging me.

"I saw the a cab pass along the freeway over there and thought it was you," She tells me breaking her hug to point at the road across the river.

"You were crying because of .. Me?" I ask, my voice full of surprise.

Why the hell is she crying over me when she's in love with some other loser?

"Yes," she answers quietly.

"Why?"

"I didn't get the chance to explain."

"There's nothing to explain. You have a boyfriend that you love, end of story. I got it." I tell her feeling a pang of sadness in my heart.

"I'm not in love with him, Harry. Alanzo is my ... my ex-boyfriend. I haven't been held the way you held me last night since him. I guess when I fell asleep my mind was thinking of ... those days. But please just believe me when I say it was only a dream. I don't love Alanzo, I'm so so beyond loving Alanzo you have no idea," She rushes the words out of her mouth. With every word I feel my sadness fade.

I believe her.

She looks at me with a worried expression, searching my face for what I'll say. I pull my phone out and see it is now 10:58.

"Hurry we can't miss our train," I tell her with a huge grin, tugging her hand back to the trail.

We make it just in time.

"Let's go get something to drink," I tell Anissa as we walk towards the diner on the train.

"Harry that was like a 5 minute jog! How are you so tired?" Anissa jokes as she sees me still breathing heavy.

"The only exercise I participate in is fucking. And I haven't done that since God knows when," I say without thinking making Anissa's eyes go wide as she chokes on nothing.

Why did I just say that out loud?

"I'm sorry that was .. inappropriate. Uhmm... Do You like ... smoothies? I like smoothies... Let's get some smoothies okay?" I babble trying to recover from this awkward moment I created.