𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋! | harry styles

𝐗𝐈𝐈

He's silent for a good ten seconds before I realize that maybe this isn't a social call. "Why?" I ask hesitantly. "Is something up?"

The silence on Jon's end is long, and I can feel the pent up tension rolling through the phone line. "Nah," he says, trying to sound flippant but unable to disguise the distinct edge in his voice. "I haven't seen her since Saturday. Was hoping you'd seen her or something."

"Oh." I frown at the steering wheel, trying to remember the last time I saw Leah. The days all seem to blur into one lately, so while it might have felt like yesterday it could easily have been a week ago. "I haven't seen her since Saturday either."

I try to remember if she said anything about taking a vacation or some time away, but all I can think about is her argument with Nick.

Jon is silent again, and I'm not sure what to say to make it better. To be honest I don't know if there is anything I can say. It's not unlike to Leah to drop off the face of the earth for a few days, but usually it includes Jon, a stash of powder and pills, and three days without sleep. If she's disappeared without him, maybe it's for a reason.

"Have you checked with Tania?" I ask. "Maybe she's covering a spot in Vegas this week?"

Jon sniffs again. "Yeah. Yeah, maybe." He doesn't sound convinced. "She usually tells me shit like that. Her stuff is here."

I rub my fingers beneath my hair tie, pressing at the spot where my head aches. "Oh, well… maybe she just forgot."

He mumbles something in answer, and I can tell he's still not convinced. But it's getting late, and I'd like to miss the school traffic on the way home with Cody. Luckily, Jon decides I'm no use and mumbles something like a thank you and hangs up.

But, as I drive across town my conversation with Jon continues to niggle at the back of my mind. Sitting at a set of lights, I reach across and fish my phone out of my bag.

The call goes straight to voicemail, sending a cold finger of fear down my spine.

"Leah, it's Scarlet," I say, shouldering my phone as I shift gears. "Jon just called me looking for you. He sounded kind of worried. To be honest I'm kind of worried too. Call me, girl. Please?"

I hang up, but keep the phone in my lap in the hope that she calls.

She doesn't.

That night when I arrive home with Cody, Neda corners me, practically begging me to let her take him for a few hours before dinner. I'm tempted to say no, sure that she'll fill him full of sweet things, but Neda and Amun are the closest thing Cody will ever have to grandparents, so I can't deny him a little time with them.

Plus, the idea of a few hours on my own is too good to pass up.

The thing is, though, without Cody the apartment is too quiet. I turn the TV to a random station, hoping to fill the silence. I change out of my work uniform and hang it, ready for the next day. I get a can of soup out for dinner, and even go so far as to pour it into the pot, ready for heating. After that I've exhausted my list of things to do, and it takes maybe fifteen minutes before my thoughts begin to drift a few doors down.

I think about calling Harry, but after last night I need to see him. I need to see his face when I ask him about Nick. I need the truth, and the only place I'm going to find it is with Harry.

Wound tight like a ball of nerves, I procrastinate for another twenty minutes, practising what I'm going to say to him over and over in my head. Finally, after i'm sure i've worn away the carpet with my pacing, I give in.

I stand outside his apartment for too long, staring at the brassy numbers on the front of his door. When I finally work up the nerve to knock, my body tenses up in anticipation. I wait, but there's no answer. So I knock again a little louder, my courage waning. Still nothing.