CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
[ Harry's POV ]
Austin was forcing me.
He was laughing at me and calling me names just because I wasn't giving up, just because I wasn't drinking alcohol just like he was, just because I wasn't letting him touch me. He wanted sex.
I wanted to cook dinner, have a nice night in front of the TV.
He didn't. He wanted me.
And my body couldn't handle his violence, I was in pain. And I just wanted to cry.
I wanted tender touches and velvet kisses, I wanted a soft voice in my ear, I wanted someone to hold me close and never let go.
I wanted Louis.
But yet I had been the pleasing Austin the entire day, since the minute he woke up. Cooking for him, cleaning the house, giving him blowjobs, making him drinks, and all for what? For nothing.
He took my phone away from me around five pm when he saw me speaking with my mom instead of taking care of him.
I didn't complain because I didn't want him to get even more mad.
He still didn't know about Louis, he didn't know I had cheated. That's why all of that felt like I something I deserved. The way he was treating me? After kissing Louis, it was just a valid punishment.
After dinner, I was taking a shower when he entered the bathroom and took his clothes off.
He forced himself into me. For the second time that day.
And I had never felt that miserable and defenseless.
Everything stopped when my phone rang, and Austin got out of the shower to take it. Just for the sound, I knew it was a text message. I couldn't see who had written it, but I understood when he rushed into the bathroom again and dragged me out of it by pulling my wet hair.
It was a message from Louis. And Austin was jealous.
He pushed my naked body to the cold tile floor, and stood above me, showing me the screen of the phone, shaking his hand in front of me.
It actually wasn't a big deal. It didn't say anything out of place. It was just Louis worrying about me. My heart skipped a bit.
"Who is this?!" - Austin screamed, while shaking the phone in front of my face.
"It's a friend." - I whispered.
"Since when do you have a friend named Louis?!"
"A few weeks ago?" - I said, trembling below him.
"And again, you didn't tell me."
"I'm sorry." - I said, starting to cry.
"You always say that, but I'm not sure you mean it, Harry." - He kicked the side of my body, just below the ribs.
"Yes, I do." - I said and closed my eyes because I felt how close Austin was now about to hit me on the face.
And he did. He hit me five times in a row just above my lip, making me bleed.
I was feeling a bit dizzy, probably because of being on the floor, or maybe because of his punches, or because he had made me drink vodka from the bottle not long ago. Or just the mix of all of it.
I didn't know when I lost consciousness, when I passed out.
But when I recovered it, two hours later, Austin was already gone.
I stood up from the ground, ignoring the pounding in my head, and rushed to put some clothes on.
I couldn't stay there. I couldn't waste a second.
Because if he had gone to work, he'd probably return soon.
That's when I saw my phone on the floor. I picked it up and Louis' message appeared on the screen. He was what I needed now.
I grabbed my keys and, still feeling dizzy, I walked fast to mother's house in the middle of the night.
It was nearly one thirty a.m., so my mother wasn't even awake. But I did my best to be quiet and quick.
Once I retrieved the bike without waking her up, I rode it all the way to Bel-Air.
Half an hour into pedaling with teary eyes and increasing pain, I finally found Louis' house.
I knocked on the door, trying to contain my crying.
"Lou." - I sobbed once the door opened, feeling relief running through my bones just by seeing his face.
I made it. I was here.
Louis was here.
"What? Harry..." - He mumbled.
"Please." - I begged.
"Harry, fuck. What happened to you?" - And then he hugged me, wrapping me in his warmth and soothing cologne.
"Can I stay here for a bit?" - I asked, separating from him.
"Of course." - He breathed out, pulling me inside with him.
He hugged me again, me burying my face in him, searching for his comfort.
"Baby..." - He said, caressing my back. - "Tell me what happened."
"Austin."
Louis kept drawing circles on my back, then tangling his fingers in the mess of my hair, holding me tighter against his chest.
"Baby?" - He said, and the pet name gave me goosebumps.
"Mhm?"
"Let's take you to my room, and then... we can clean you up and you can talk to me, yeah?"
I nodded still with my face on his neck, as he guided us up the stairs and into a room I've never been before. His bedroom.
He smiled at me softly as he gestured towards the bed, letting go of me.
"Don't go." - I mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed and begging him.
"I want to take care of your lip, love."
"Please, just hug me?" - I sobbed.
"Fuck." - He whispered, climbing in bed and sitting with his back against the headboard, then pulling me until I was curled at his side. - "Better?"
I nodded.
"Alright. You can talk whenever you're ready, love." - He said, leaving a kiss on the top of my head.
I buried my face even deeper into his neck and sighed.
I could trust him; I knew I could. I took a few deep breaths and tried to stop my sobbing so I could speak.
"He is very jealous." - I murmured.
"That doesn't give him the right to exert violence on you, Harry." - Louis said and lifted my chin so he could look at me. - "Because that's what happened, right?"
"He took my phone and saw your message, Lou." - I said and Louis immediately frowned.
"So he did this to you because of me?" - Anger was taking up on his voice.
"It's not your fault." - I whispered, not wanting to make him mad too.
"Oh my god, Harry." - He shook his head, hugging me tighter. - "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have sent that message. You don't deserve this. I can't believe he did this to you. I want to go and kill him right now. Harry, baby." - Louis made me look at him again. - "You're safe here. Fuck, you don't ever have to be scared here, I promise you. I can hire a security guard for you if you want to, Austin is not going to put a hand in you ever again. I promise."
That wasn't really what I wanted, but I didn't want to tell him that, I just needed him to hold me.
I looked at him and tried to smile as a response. I cupped one of his cheeks in my hand and leaned towards him to join our foreheads together and I finally closed my eyes, just enjoying having him that close.
He sighed and wrapped his arms around me.
"Harry, that guy is hurting you. You understand that, right?"
"Mhm." - I said, without opening my eyes.
"I'm not sure you really understand how serious this is."
"Please, Lou. Don't make me do this."
"Do what, love?"
"He..." - I sighed. - "He is still my boyfriend, he is just jealous. And he has his reasons."
Louis shook his head, putting some distance between us and making me look at him.
"Harry, baby. Nobody can hurt you like this and be justified. It doesn't matter if he is jealous or not. Because if he is your boyfriend, he should be taking care of you, he should protect you, he should love you. This isn't love, Harry." - He brushed his finger over my top lip, and I flinched. - "I'm sorry." - He whispered, leaning in and pecking my forehead.
"Austin loves me. He tells me that every day."
Louis stared at me with a concerned expression.
"Why did you come here?" - He asked.
"Because right now you're the only one I have." - I said shyly.
"Harry, as long as you are here with me, I promise I will take care of these open wounds on your skin, I will protect you, and I will try to make you feel safe. And I want you to know that I'm really happy that you came here, that told me this and that you trust me enough to say it out loud, yeah? Thank you, Harry."
"I should thank you. You're my knight in shining armor."
He smiled softly at me.
And I really wanted to kiss him. I needed that comfort. I wanted to feel good again.
But I couldn't do that to Austin, not again. So instead of doing it, I let go of Louis and laid down on the bed, facing away from him.
Louis didn't say anything, he just stood up from bed and went away. Leaving me on my own.
I deserved that too.
I didn't expect him to return, but he did.
And this time he was carrying some wet wipes, and what looked like alcohol and bandages.
Without saying a word, he knelt in front of my face and started cleaning up the dried blood of my lip, disinfecting it and placing a tiny gauze.
"Hold this there, love. Apply pressure so it'll stop bleeding." - He whispered.
Then, he moved behind me, checking on the stitches on the back of my head.
He was an angel. And I couldn't help but close my eyes with the feeling of his touch.
He was right, by his side I felt safe.
He hummed in satisfaction after a few minutes.
"Now you can sleep, love." - Louis said once he was finished, and I no longer felt his touch.
I would be lying if I said that I didn't want him to continue touching me in some way.
But I knew it was over when I heard him get oof the bed.
I don't remember much after that; everything turned black again.
But this time I knew I was protected; I knew I was safe.
Because after all, Louis was my knight in shining armor. And he was right there,