Chapter 14
As we pulled out of the parking lot, I could not have been happier. The timing had been all wrong, but the kiss had been perfect anyway. Part of me was worried that I had just jeopardized our friendship with my abrupt action, but it was worth it. Harry would always be worth it. After all, he was the only thing I really cared about in this world anymore. I couldn’t tell if Harry felt the same way I did. Every time I glanced over at him, his features involuntarily became a hard mask.
Emotionless.
Hiding.
I knew that he was afraid to let the pain of losing Louis in. He was afraid that it would overtake him. He was afraid he was going to lose me, but for as long as I was alive I would always be by his side, and that was a promise that I would go to my grave defending.
Harry backed the car out of the parking stall carefully. Pulling out onto the road again to go to the airport, I just rested my forehead against the window and watched as the world outside passed me by. Finally left alone with my thoughts I felt like I’d made a mistake in making my move. If it had been a better time, maybe I wouldn’t feel so horrible about it, but everything was off. But if I didn’t do it then, when was I supposed to do it? The time would never be right again, and for all I knew, I might not get another chance like that one. I knew deep down that the kiss was all special in its own way, and I hoped desperately that I would get the chance to grow old with Harry, and look back on these moments laughing.
I hoped, but sometimes hope isn’t enough.
People along the street stared at the car as we drove by. I didn’t know why, and I tensed up at the thought of being in the public eye. I realized that maybe things between Harry and I wouldn’t work out. He was a superstar now. There were so many girls that wanted a piece of him, so why would he stay with me? I didn’t think he would, and that scared me. Right when I was starting to doubt everything that I felt, a reassuring hand placed itself in mine. Harry’s hand wrapped around mine, and I couldn’t help feeling better about the situation. I shifted in my seat to where I was facing away from the peculiar stares that I was getting from all the people along the city streets. I faced Harry, watching as he drove with one hand, still focusing on the road. I looked out through the windshield, and I could see the airport just ahead of us. There were only a few more stoplights. Our light turned green, and we started to drive through the intersection.
The next thing I knew, the car felt like it was flying in every direction at once. The tires squealed as we skidded sideways for several feet before spinning sideways, and flipping through the air. Glass shattered, crashing into my face at a high speed, and causing blood to bubble on the raw skin. The world seemed to move in slow motion, and for a second I opened my eyes to see the world reorienting around me before I smashed them shut again out of pure terror. Metal shrieked, and I felt my body falling around inside the vehicle like a rag doll in a washing machine. My head smashed up against the roof of the car, and somehow over all the outside noise, I could hear a loud cracking sound. I didn't know what it was, but the crunch was sickening. The car rolled over and over; I thought the nightmare was never going to end until Harry's Audi finally came to a stop on its roof. The metal framing of the windows was smashed almost all the way shut, and I felt my stomach churn as I realized that we were trapped.
I heard Harry straining to breathe, and he cried out in pain as he struggled against his seatbelt. I unclicked mine and tumbled an inch or so until my head was resting against the roof again. I dug around in the backseat for something I could use to break open the back windshield with since it was our only viable route for escape. All I found was an ice scraper, which I beat on the already cracked glass with until I had created a hole that was big enough to crawl through. Once I was through the hole, I widened it for Harry, and he crawled through. I looked up just in time to see a large black van with the front end smashed to bits veer away down the road. There was not a single doubt in my mind about who it was.
I knew.
Harry saw them too as they seemingly drove off, and we peeled ourselves off the concrete. We stood up, and hobbled along to get off the road. Horns honked loudly at us; we moved along slowly anyway. Once we got onto the sidewalk, Harry pulled out his phone, prepared to call his insurance company. I checked myself over for major injuries, and I could feel blood trickling down my cheeks from the cuts. As he slid the phone out of his pocket, I turned to look down the street, terrified to see the large black van coming toward us once again. I whipped around and smacked the phone from Harry’s hand.
“Run!” I gripped his hands hard and yanked him down the street running at full tilt trying to get away from the van. I heard brakes screech and car doors opening and slamming shut. Loud footsteps and sounds of pursuit followed us. I had never been more sure that my life was about to end. That only made me run harder, because if those men caught me again, it would. I glanced back at Harry whose face was painted with a look of pain. His breaths were coming short and ragged, and he winced with every step. He seemed to be moving slower and slower, and I tried to encourage him with a breathless, “Come on, Harry!”
The men that were chasing us were getting closer and closer. One was large and muscular, and his head was bald like Harry’s. The other was tall with narrow shoulders and short, spikey hair, but he was more terrifying to me than the other man.
He had a gun.
There was not a shred of doubt in my mind that he would begin using it on us, unless we got somewhere indoors. We had to get somewhere where we were too close range for them to use that weapon. They wouldn’t want to fire and miss.
They wouldn’t risk it.
The shiny weapon glinted in the sunlight as we dashed toward the airport’s main entrance as the tall, white, tent-like ceiling loomed ahead of us. The men, clad in their dark shirts and denim jeans, still followed close behind. As Harry and I ducked inside the doors, we slowed down, but still hurried toward the large masses of people that were gathered in the lines at the ticket counters. We approached the taped off area just as the two men sauntered through the doors trying to act inconspicuous.
Being so tall, Harry ducked down to hide behind a few children who recognized him from the X-Factor. He hushed them with a finger to the lips, and they silenced themselves while still continuing to stare at him. After giving them all hugs, Harry and I both slid along inside the line while the men paced back and forth only a few feet away, still not seeing us. I could feel adrenaline shoot into my veins when one of them appeared to look at me, but he looked away moments later leaving my heart still beating hard.
As they looked like they were about to leave, I tapped Harry on the shoulder, careful to stay quiet and point the men out. He saw them and nodded, signaling that he understood. Using a code system, mostly consisting of hand waves and tongue clicks, that we had devised when we pretended we were in the military at age twelve, I asked Harry how to get to where the jet would be at.
“No idea,” he answered back quietly. I shot him a shocked expression as our eyes connected. “Sorry, I forgot the hand signs.” A sheepish grin pulled at the corners of his mouth, and I poked him in a fresh bruise that was already beginning to form on his arm as punishment.
“We’ll have plenty of time to review on the plane,” I responded at him. How did he forget? He was the one that had promised that he’d always remember it, not me, yet somehow he’d forgotten and I’d remembered. I almost laughed, but I stopped myself when I saw the bald man reappear inside the terminal. I didn’t know where his spikey haired friend was, but I didn’t want to find out. We needed to get out of here, and quick. I looked around the large terminal. The light from various signs reflected on the brightly colored floor tiles, and warm sunlight shone in through the windows. If we weren’t being chased by people who wanted us dead, it would have been pretty.
I finally found a sign that read “Private Flights”. Motioning to Harry, I slunk out of the line and, after checking that Baldy and Spikes were nowhere to be found, made a mad dash toward the escalator underneath the sign. Harry was hard on my heels, using his long legs to his advantage. Damn, Harry is out of shape, I thought to myself as I heard him start to pant behind me. Quickly finding the next sign I followed it up another escalator and around a corner until I came face to face with a wall of solid glass.
Other than the windows, the hallway was entirely empty; it was devoid of people and furniture except for a lone counter along the far wall that seemed to be empty. Harry pulled out his phone and messaged someone, receiving a response only moments after that. For a few moments I looked around thinking I’d taken a wrong turn.
“Mel said there should be a grey door around here somewhere,” Harry said quietly as we looked around for the door that his travel agent was referring to. Finally finding it along the grey wall, I followed behind him as we walked over to it. “She said to follow this corridor all the way to the runway,” he said as he held the door open for me. I nodded and continued onward into the dark tunnel. I had to walk a few feet blindly before the automatic lights turned on and illuminated the hallway. It was small and deserted. The old carpet was mashed into the floor and it had turned a disgusting brown with age. Stopping for a moment, I let Harry take the lead, and I followed close behind him. As we rounded a bend, I was fairly shocked to find that the hallway wasn’t as long as I had originally thought.
Harry shoved open a heavy metal door, and bright sunlight flooded into the hallway. We stepped out onto a short platform together before jogging down the stairs and over to where a large white plane was sitting idle. The steps were unfolded for us to board, and we got on without hesitation. As we sat down, two flight attendants, one a pretty blond and the other an older looking brunette, gave us the usual run down on how our seatbelts functioned before the plane took off. They then brought us tissues and antiseptic at our request to clean our wounds.
I sat quietly across a small table from Harry as the women brought us glasses of chardonnay, although I’d told them that I don’t drink. I held the glass of golden liquid in my hands as the plane taxied onto the runway. My stomach did a cartwheel because of the nerves, and I tried to stay focused on the glass in my hands. The chardonnay went from the bottom of the small cup to the right hand side in a matter of seconds as the plane approached speed. I felt the wheels lift off the ground, and when I was sure we were safely in the air, I took a peep out the window that was to my right.
When I thought I was going to be sick, I glanced over at Harry who I noticed was staring at me with a funny smile on his face. He quickly looked away, trying to hide the fact that he’d been studying me, but I’d already caught him. I laughed.
“What?” Harry asked indignantly, his beautiful green eyes locking on mine. I stared into them like I was going to get lost. Those gorgeous green pools were my ocean, and I was drowning without a lifeline.
“Nothing, Styles,” I answered, giving him a dose of his own medicine as I continued to wipe at my cuts, the skin stinging. He smiled warmly at me. For the first time since my kidnapping, I felt truly safe. The plane was the only place that was untouchable for those men. They’d never get onboard, and as long as we were in the air, they couldn’t get to us either. It was nice to finally get to relax and not have to worry about checking all the exits.
Everything was safe.
“You sure about that, Lawson?” He kicked me under the table playfully, and I kicked him back, smiling like an idiot.
“As sure as the fact that you still need help with remembering your code,” I shot back with a giggle. “Who’s right?” I said tapping on the table with my fingers. For the first time since I’d seen him, Harry laughed. It was a warm, hearty, musical sound, and it was genuine. I felt warm inside to know that I was the one that caused his smile, especially after he’d been so down. That was all I wanted, was for him to be happy.
That was all that mattered.