Salvation (Harry Styles)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Go all the way, have your fun

Have it all, this will take you down

I don't answer Harry until I've reached the front doors that are covered in green weeds and a thick coat of brown dust. "Freedom," I reply, looking over my shoulder. He looks hot standing there in black skinny jeans and a button up shirt with only three of the six buttons done. I have a clear view of his chest and the butterfly that adorns his skin. Today is warm enough to not wear a jacket, and I can't be happier.

Little lines form between his brows, "Freedom?"

I hum, nodding, "This land belongs to the public now, since it was never used after the school moved to where it is now, twenty years ago. Some people use it for graffiti, or they come here to smoke like they do at the railroad. But some just come here to get away, you know. I've been here a few times, when I was younger."

Harry stalks over to me, "And you're sure it's safe? It has been twenty years..."

"Harry, since when did you care about safety?"

"Since I saw you lying in the hospital bed," he retorts softly.

I groan, "You're just as bad as my parents. Please, trust me. Loosen up! Where's the Harry that speed in and out of the parking lot? That walked down a train track, over water, without a care in the world, drunk and high?"

He wasted no time in closing the space between us, chest to chest, but I'm not pressing against the door like a coward now. Before everything with Harry, I would be intimidated beyond belief by someone like him. Now I match, challenge even, his gaze, the beautiful green of his eyes. He becomes serious, "Do you really want that Harry back?"

"At least he was fun."

"Maybe he never left."

"Then come out to play."

My heart is racing when I abruptly open the door from behind. Years ago, when I was first brought here with friends, the lock on the door was already broken, so the door will forever remain unlocked. Our playful teasing is cut short by me turning and rushing into the empty school with a smile on my lips. I can hear Harry's boots scuffing against the dusty floors, coming after me.

I have the advantage, though. I've been here plenty of times to actually know where everything is and where to hide. So I know that around the next corner, there a room without a door right at the edge that you can almost miss if you didn't know it was there. With one fleeting glance over my shoulder to make sure he's still following behind me, I make the sharp turn. And then another, pressing my back against the wall immediately so he won't see me.

I hear him round the corner, missing the door completely, and stop a few feet away. I can imagine his face and my grin widens.

Peeking my head around the corner, I see him shuffle further down the empty, rubbish filled hallway, wondering where I could've gone in such a short time. I take this time to dash back to the hall we just came from and start for the hollow cafeteria.

"Oh, no you don't," Harry says, and I realise that I hadn't been as stealth as I thought I was. I make out footstep growing heavier and heavier, and soon enough I'm actually running as Harry chases me.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I squeal, but before I know it, I'm captured.

Harry's arms find my waist, enclosing me in a tight embrace. The sudden stop throws me back into his chest, his face right beside mine. I know he's smiling when I feel his prominent cheekbones pressed to mine. His chest vibrates as he chuckles. "Caught you, Kitten."