Devotion [h.s]

231

"It's you're gang Harry."

"And that's why I gave it to you and Niall to run. I still help with planning and stuff, I just can't go out and risk my life anymore." I grab a can of corn on the top shelf, tossing it in the cart.

"So I guess that jacket is just going to sit in your closet for the rest of eternity huh?" He scuffs, pushing me to my breaking point.

"Louis what don't you understand?" I stop the cart and stare at him from the opposite end. "I have a baby with someone I plan to spend the rest of my life with. For once, I'm happy. It's not just me anymore that I have to worry about. If I go out to a blood fight and get myself killed, Briar will grow up without a father, without knowing who I ever was probably. These moments I have with her now, she will not remember when she's old. I will be nothing but a name to her. So yes, that jacket will stay in the closet with the rest of my old life. I don't plan on putting it on anytime soon, and you need to understand that." I jolt the cart so he steps off of it.

He looks at me silently as I push past him, scanning the shelves again to go back to what I was doing and leaving him behind me. I don't care if he catches up or not. I'm not mad at him, I'm just annoyed by his persistent questioning about me going back to the gang.

"What are you hiding?" He asks from a few meters behind me out of the blue, making me freeze.

"I'm not hiding anything." I state clearly, hearing his footsteps walk up so he was in my sight now next to me.

He looks at me through his sunglasses for a moment, seeming to be examining my face for what felt like a year. He was about a meter or so away, and I was just standing there confused. What was his issue?

"You're scared." He says lowly in realization, making my heart drop.

"What? Scared to lose my family? Yeah you knew that." I shake my head and furrow my brows.

"No, you're scared of something else too." He says back and it was just making me anxious. There was a moment of silence again and it was deafening. I tapped my finger on the cart handle subconsciously.

"It's because the last time you fought Salvation... you beat your fathers face in with a boulder isn't it?" He makes the distinct accusation, catching me completely off guard.

Why the fuck does he thing he could say that to me? He knows I don't deal well with invasive remarks.

"Fuck off Lou." I rolls my eyes and keep walking down the aisle, turning into the next one.

"I'm right aren't I?" I hear him follow me.

"No, you're not. Why the fuck would I care about killing Axel?" I ask but I really don't want him to answer. I just want to forget about this whole conversation. He doesn't answer and I hope that he never will. I continue on with grabbing things off the shelf and putting them into the metal shopping cart, watching Briar who keeps playing with my fingers in front of me.

"Because it probably still keeps you up some nights." I hear him say, making me freeze yet again. I clench the handle and my jaw, anger washing over me from his persistent invasive words.

Before I could process I turned around to see him a few meters behind me, looking at the shelves off food like what he said was nothing. I stride up to him and grab fistfuls of his shirt collar, turning him around and slamming him into the shelves.

"What the hell is your issue!" I shout as he stays pinned to the aisle, my fists white knuckling the fabric of his long sleeve.

"Please Styles, not in the soup aisle." He says sarcastically, smirking with those sunglasses still on.