"Here." I accepted the plate from Harry's hands, careful not to touch him, but my attempt failed as the back of his fingers brushed mine. I immediately shied away from his touch, earning a smirk from Harry before he returned to the kitchen.
I slumped back against the wall, feeling considerably less hungry now. I hated how different everything had become in a matter of hours. I didn't know Harry, not one bit, but he had shown a soft side to me, and that wasn't something that I had expected. I felt like it was a bit harsh to suddenly revert to this mystery he had become.
But the thing was, I don't think he ever was kind and caring. Something had changed in him for that period of time, and that might have been who he was once, but for me to believe that that's who he was now seemed completely ridiculous now.
"Eat." His raspy voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up at his towering figure, casting a shadow down on me. His eyes looked completely black from my position on the floor, and I guessed that it wasn't just the lighting. For some reason, he was angry.
"I-I'm not hungry," I mumbled.
"Damn it, Alice, just fucking eat!" he shouted, causing me to jump. I shrunk away from his furious gaze as his jaw clenched. Slowly the fire in his eyes died until it was gone, leaving just dark, flat orbs to stare down at me. "Eat," he repeated, before briskly walking into his bedroom.
I stared after him, flinching when the door slammed shut and the wall rattled against my back. I wrapped my arms around my knees and tugged them close to my chest. I could feel myself breaking as time wore on. I had only been here a day, and before my father's offer seemed horrible in comparison to staying with Harry, but now neither option seemed even remotely decent. Harry had made me feel safe and reminded me of my brother, but he wasn't Elijah.
I flinched again as I heard Harry's loud voice through the wall, shouting angrily. I wasn't sure if he was simply raging to himself or on the phone, but it immediately frightened me.
I looked up, an idea suddenly forming in my mind. Harry was losing control in his bedroom and there were no eyes or ears on me. The door was just across the room. It was heavy enough that I would have to support it's weight as I shut it, but I wondered if I could make an escape in that time. I would need just long enough to hail a cab back to my flat... or better yet, Shane's.
I glanced back at the door where Harry's loud voice still echoed off the walls. By the abrupt silences between his rages I presumed he was on the phone.
It took me only a moment to cross the room on tiptoe, abandoning my dinner behind me. I glanced back again nervously before sliding the lock across the door. It seemed to be extra noisy in that moment in time and I flinched away from the sharp sound before sending another look back at Harry's bedroom.
I had to do this.
I tugged on the handle, slowly pulling it open to reveal the set of steps down to the second door that broke off into an alleyway. With baited breath I began to edge the door closed behind me. My hand slipped on it halfway through and I struggled to catch it before it could shake the wall, alerting Harry to my escape.
I gradually inched it shut until it stopped with the faintest thud against the doorjamb.
I felt like my legs couldn't move fast enough as I sprinted down the steps two at a time until I'd reached the second door. I tugged on it's handle and began to whimper when I found it locked. I had the worst luck.
But then, as my hand thudded against it in frustration, it gave way. Push, not pull.
I felt like I was running through quicksand as I hurried down the alleyway. I hadn't paid any attention when Harry had drove to his house before, being too shocked to do much of anything but gape out the window, so I had no idea where I was even going as I reached a fork in my path.
I glanced back at the door to Harry's home, noting that it was wide open. I wondered if my lack of covering up the evidence had been foolish or not, but I didn't have a lot of time to ponder that as I chose to go right towards what looked like a boulevard.
I noticed that most of the shops were closed for the night, which meant less chance of running into any unwelcome people. I began to slow my pace, my breathing heavy from my spur-of-the-moment escape when I heard the sudden rev of an engine beside me.
I jumped, my head snapping around to look at a black Range Rover with the windows rolled down. Harry leaned toward me, eyebrows raised. I was surprised that his expression wasn't dark like I'd imagined, but amused instead.
"Thought you could run, did you, princess?" he inquired as he cut the engine and stepped out, looming over me even from his place below the curb.
I took an automatic step away from him. "I-I wasn't running," I replied stupidly. Red color flooded my cheeks the moment the words fell from my mouth. Harry let out a quiet laugh, his curls shaking as he tipped his head back slightly.
"Why is that funny?" I frowned, defensively crossing my arms over my chest.
He shrugged and leaned back against the closed door of his car. "You amuse me."
It was my turn to raise the eyebrows. He smirked at my incredulity with his statement. I failed to see how crashing my escape plan was, in any way, amusing. I couldn't understand how anything shared between the two of us could possibly be even considered that.
"Well I'm done amusing you." I narrowed my eyes as he let out another laugh.
"This is only the beginning, baby," he winked. My jaw dropped at his word choice and actions.
"Baby?" I hissed. "What happened to princess?"
"I thought you didn't like that one," he mused, cocking an eyebrow as he gazed at me. I realized for a fleeting moment that his eyes were a dazzling shade of green, bright and sparkling with amusement as he watched me.
I gave him a pointed glare before turning and marching off in the opposite direction. I had to try to get away from him any way that I could. I wasn't going to play these games anymore.
I felt fingers wrap around my wrist a moment later though and tug me back. My body spun slightly to face him and I forced myself to balance before I could smack into his chest.
"Nice try," he smirked, "but I'm not letting you off that easy."
"Off what?" I huffed, tearing my wrist from his grasp. "I don't see the point in any of this. I want to go home, snuggle under a blanket on my couch, and watch Finding Nemo while drinking tea. I don't want to be held captive in some gang member's warehouse--"
Harry clamped a hand over my mouth as my voice began to rise. I stared at him through wide eyes, fear jolting through me at the contact, but his eyes still held that certain playful depth to them.
"We don't need to shout that," he said. His tone was still light, but I noticed the force in it as well. A familiar darkness swirled in his vibrant eyes as he watched me carefully nod my head against his restraints. His hand dropped a moment later.
"As for the point," he continued, "I'm keeping you safe."
"From S-someone?"
Harry cocked his head to the side, eyeing me speculatively. It was obvious that he had detected my slight slip of the tongue. The slight slip of the tongue where I had almost said my abusive ex-boyfriend's name. I gazed back at him evenly, hoping that he wouldn't bring it up.
"Yes.... someone."
"Why?" I inquired, hoping to direct the conversation away from my mistake.
His expression turned thoughtful. "Why not?"
"I could list plenty of reasons why not," I whispered after a few beats of silence. Harry processed my words and shrugged again.
"I could list plenty of reasons why."
I frowned and rubbed my forehead. I was tired of everything at this point. I really did want to run back to my flat and watch old Disney films with a cup of tea in my hand and my Twilight book on the coffee table in front of me. I could picture it perfectly--and it was the perfect picture.
"Please," I pleaded. "Let me go home."
"Come on," he stated abruptly, ignoring what I said as he wrapped his fingers once more around my wrist and tugged me toward the Range Rover. I allowed him to pull me around to the passenger side, but instead of accepting the gesture, I moved around him to sit in the backseat.
He smirked before shutting the door after me, clearly only further amused with my defiance.
The ride back to his house was short-lived, having only taken about a minute by walking distance. The Range Rover rolled to a stop outside the familiar door that blended in with the blank building.
"Go upstairs and don't try anything," Harry directed me. His voice was back to being cold and authoritative, and I wondered what had happened in the past few minutes to change that.
"I don't understand you," I murmured, shaking my head slightly in confusion.
"I was pretty clear."
"Not that."
"What then?" His tone was hard but also curious, which somewhat outweighed the obvious darkness in his voice.
"You... one minute you're being all... playful, and then the next you're like a stone." I stumbled over my words, unsure if they would upset Harry or not. The last thing I needed was for him to start screaming at me like he had to whoever it was on the phone.
I noticed his pitch black eyes staring at me through the reflection of the mirror. They were flat but he was obviously withholding the emotion that would otherwise flood his dark orbs. "It's all about you, baby," he whispered, his husky voice almost inaudible. His words shocked me--so much that I didn't even shudder at the nickname.
We sat there for a moment, staring at one another's reflections before he jerked his head toward the door. "Go."
"Where are you going?" I asked uncertainly as I pushed open the car door. He glanced at me in the mirror.
"To park the car."
I nodded, complying without questions. I waited until he had driven off in the opposite direction to head back up into his house. The door at the top of the steps was open. Harry had been pretty careless when he'd come looking for me, just as I had been escaping.
I noticed that his bedroom door was also open, and even from my spot at the front of the house, I could see the metallic phone resting on his bed. I knew I had some time before Harry would return, or maybe he was climbing the stairs now, but either way my feet moved me forward and I plucked up the phone curiously. It had two new text messages.
From Zayn
We got him now, man, but I don't know how long we can hold this out. I would get down here fast if I were you. We can talk out whatever else you've got on your mind. -Z
The text didn't make much sense to me, but from it I figured that Zayn had been the one Harry had been yelling out when I'd left. It seemed as if Zayn and Harry didn't get along very well, but they didn't have any other real options than to make it work.
I clicked out of Zayn's message and read the other.
From Seth
Job well done. Talk soon.
I didn't know what made me drop the phone back onto the bed: Harry's voice, the sound of a door and footsteps, or the pure shock that took over my body at the sender's name.
"What are you doing?" Harry snapped as he snatched his phone from the bed where it had slipped through my fingers. I remained motionless, staring at the blank wall but seeing nothing but Seth Pierce's face swimming in my vision.
I wasn't sure how I knew that it was Seth Pierce. It could have been anyone, but Iknew it was him. I couldn't explain to myself how. It was like I had a sixth sense--something attuned to Seth
"Alice?" Harry's voice was much gentler now, sensing the tension rolling off of me in waves.
My eyes finally focused on him, searching for his dark eyes. When I found them I felt a new sense of fear course through my body--a fear that I only got around the one person who had scarred me both physically and mentally.
"You know Seth," I whispered, pointing shakily to the phone he now held.
He glanced down at the text briefly before his eyes hardened and he looked back up.
"Pierce... Seth Pierce," I mumbled. The name left an icy chill in the air. I hadn't spoken it all aloud in a long time. It felt nice almost to know that I had the strength to speak it.
"How do you know him?" he asked suspiciously. His hard tone surprised me slightly, the constant mood changes making me feel dizzy.
But before I could answer Harry, my vision blurred and suddenly the bed was swirling toward my face.